Something of Value Updated
by PerfectImperfection85
Summary: Re-written version of my previous story. Set after episode 3.16. Brucas, Naley, Jeyton, Keiren.
1. Who Will Survive & What Will Be Left

**A/N: Ok so I posted a while ago to say that I was rewriting my Something of Value and Chasing Daylight stories. I'm working on it at the moment and wanted to post the first chapter just to give people an idea of how the story is going to go and to see what people think. I know the school days have been over for a while now, but they were my favourite seasons and I miss them, so we're going back in time for a while! Lol.**

**The basic idea of the story hasn't changed but other than that there have been quite a few changes. Firstly the timeline of my first story was way off so I fixed that. Secondly, I'm now keeping more in line with what actually happened on the show, you'll see what I mean when you read it. The way it works is everything up to and including episode 3.16 has happened, and everything from there onwards is fair game... since it's my story! :-P**

**It's not completely ready yet so consider this more of a teaser for now and please let me know what you think!**

**Chapter 1**

**Tuesday 24 January 2006**

**12:58pm EST**

**Somewhere above North Carolina**

Her icy blue eyes stared vacantly out of the tiny cabin window, barely even taking in the thousands of fluffy white clouds that she usually loved watching pass by. Her fingers drummed almost automatically against the hard plastic of the arm rest in time with the music that was blasting from her I-Pod. When the old lady in the seat beside her had protested and insisted that music that loud would damage her hearing, she had simply smiled politely and proceeded to turn up the volume, earning herself an irritated scowl and a mumbled scolding about 'teenagers these days having no manners'.

By nature she was not a rude person, but her patience was running extremely thin and the little old lady reminded her a lot of her grandmother, which only served to increase her irritation. After all, were it not for the interfering old bag she would be where she needed to be right now rather than 36000 feet in the air feeling as though each passing second were lasting a year.

She knew she was being harsh even as the thoughts passed through her tired mind. Her grandmother wasn't a bad person by any means, in fact in her home town back in Las Vegas she was a very well liked and respected member of the community. And deep down she knew that her grandmother loved her.

But at that moment in time the only thing she could think of was the look of guilt on her grandmother's face the previous day when she had broken the news that she knew would devastate her granddaughter.

_The first thing that struck her upon entering the house was the unusual silence. She cast a confused glance down at the diamond studded watch that her father had given her for her birthday the year before._

_9.00pm._

_That was odd. Normally when she arrived home from her after-school job at the local diner it was to the sound of old school country music and the smell of supper being cooked. Her grandmother was a stickler for routine, a habit that had annoyed her to no end when she had first moved there._

_Letting the door swing shut behind her she made her way through to the kitchen. For a reason completely unknown to her, uneasiness stirred in the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong. If someone had asked her to explain why she felt that way, she wouldn't have been able to. But she knew it in her heart._

_Hesitantly, she stepped into the kitchen to find her Grandmother sitting quietly at the counter, her hands folded in front of her and a solemn look on her face._

"_Nana..." she began tentatively, not really wanting to verbalise the question that was in her mind. She did anyway. "What's wrong?"_

_Her grandmother jumped, startled by the unexpected voice. That only amplified the feeling of dread that was already growing slowly. Her grandmother knew her routine better than she did. She always seemed to know the exact moment that her granddaughter's car would pull into the driveway. _

_It seemed like an eternity before the question was answered._

"_You'd better sit down."_

_Four words. Four short, simple words was all it took to launch her into full scale panic mode. Although they were words that she'd never had to hear first hand, she'd watched enough daytime TV during the holidays to know when she was about to be given bad news._

_She made no move to sit. Not that she could have even if she had wanted to. Her whole body had stiffened in fear of what she was about to be told. _

_She repeated her earlier question. "What's wrong?"_

_The silence in the next few seconds that passed was almost deafening. Just as she was beginning to think her grandmother was never going to speak, she got her answer, and immediately wished she hadn't. _

"_I got a call today. From Tree Hill."_

_Her heart plummeted into her stomach so quickly she thought she might vomit. "What happened?" She could hear her own voice, thick with tears, vibrating through her ears as terror gripped her heart. "Nana? What happened to him?"_

"_He was shot."_

The moments following those three words were a blur. She knew there had been tears, and screaming, and pleading but it barely registered that this had all come from her. She'd barely slept that night and the next morning before she knew what was happening she was boarding a plane bound for Tree Hill, North Carolina, a place she once called home.

She knew that she should be grateful to her grandmother. She had acted quickly upon receiving the phone call. Before her granddaughter had even returned from work she had booked a first class ticket to Tree Hill. One way. She had contacted the necessary people and had packed a bag, knowing that her granddaughter would be in no fit state to do any of this herself.

But at the back of her mind a little voice reminded her that were it not for her grandmother's interference, she would have already been in Tree Hill. She would have been with him when he needed her. That thought alone overshadowed any gratitude she should have felt.

Religion had never been of any importance to her. She had always been known by her friends as the sceptic; the logical thinker. And yet in the last few hours she had spent on the flight she had said what seemed like a thousand prayers. She prayed with every inch of her being that it was all a dream. That she would wake up and call him to tell him about it. He would surely laugh at her; tell her that he was fine and that he wasn't going anywhere. But even as the silent prayers entered her mind she knew that they wouldn't be answered. The situation was all too real.

"Excuse me Miss... Miss."

She felt a hand lightly tap her shoulder and removed her earpiece.

"What!" She regretted the obvious irritation in her tone immediately when she met the very patient eyes of a flight attendant.

"Sorry to disturb you Miss but I need to advise you to put away your equipment and fasten your seatbelt. We're about to begin landing."

"Oh, ok sorry." She smiled apologetically and did as asked, feeling the nerves that had settled slightly begin to stir in her stomach once again. She was almost home. This was the day that she had wished for and looked forward to for the last four years and now it was here. But she had never in a million years imagined that this was what she would be coming home to.

...

**2.30pm EST**

**Tree Hill Memorial Hospital**

He let out an exhausted sigh as he swung the mustang into the first parking space he came across. Allowing himself a second to pause, he leaned over the wheel and closed his eyes rubbing them a little too harshly in an effort to ease the tiredness. Almost thirty six hours without sleep would do that to anyone. But sleep was the furthest thing from his mind as he opened his eyes and looked up at the building before him.

Tree Hill Memorial Hospital.

For the life of him he couldn't remember a time when he'd spent so much time perched on a rather uncomfortable plastic chair in a drab, depressing corridor. But there was nowhere else that he would want to be at that moment.

Memories of the day before swam through his mind in a jumbled mess. The only clear memory that he had was the sound of two gunshots that rang through his ears as he stepped out into the bright morning sunlight to a flurry of activity. The second that the familiar weight had been lifted from his arms he had spun around and made a dash towards the doors he had only a second ago exited.

He remembered the searing pain that shot up the length of his arm as the police officer had grabbed him, forcing him to the ground. How he hated the man. Didn't he understand that he needed to get back in there? Maybe if he had gotten back in time...

He didn't want to finish the thought. Shaking his head as if to clear the images he finally climbed out of the car and slammed the door shut, making his way towards the doors of the hospital.

"Lucas?"

He spun around at the sound of his name being called and for a second his whole body froze. His eyes swept over the familiar girl in front of him. Her long, dirty blonde hair fell over her shoulders, now accompanied by vibrant fire red streaks. Her striking blue eyes were filled with unshed tears as she stood before him, a terrified expression distorting her normally bright, smiling face.

"Cassie?"

A single tear finally broke free and slid slowly over her cheek. It was all he needed to wake him from his stunned reverie. He stepped forward and pulled her into his arms in a fierce hug that she eagerly returned.

As soon as his arms were around her, he felt her body crumble into him as the tears that he could see she had been fighting hard to keep away, finally won her over. Violent sobs shook her body as he held her and it was all he could do to stop his own from overcoming him.

After a moment he heard her sobs subside and he pulled her back to look her in the eye. Words could not describe how it felt to see her at that moment. He only wished that it was under better circumstances.

Her cheeks were tear-stained, her eyes were red and swollen and smudged with a mixture of eyeliner and mascara, and her hair was a tangled mess. But to Lucas, she was a sight for sore eyes. He was biased of course, but he knew that there was at least one more person inside the building who would be just as happy to see her.

Thinking about it now, he didn't know why he had been so surprised to see her there. It had been near impossible for the others to convince him to leave the hospital and even then he'd only agreed to go home to shower and change. He knew that she would be just as desperate to be there. Most likely she would have caught the first flight out.

She sniffed and clumsily wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her oversized, hooded sweater, barely even noticing the stain that her mascara left behind. Lucas recognised the sweater immediately. He had the very same one at home.

"How is he?"

His eyes dropped from her face and he shook his head. "He was still unconscious when I left."

She let out a sigh and closed her eyes against a fresh wave of tears that threatened to flow.

"Come on," he urged gently. "There's nothing we can do but wait. How about we get a cup of coffee? No offence or anything but you look like you could use it." He feigned hurt when his comment earned him a playful jab to the arm and a tearful smile.

Acting almost on auto pilot he swung an arm around her shoulder and led her into the building, knowing they were both quietly dreading what might await them.

...

**2.55pm EST**

**Tree Hill Hospital – Room 406**

She sat silently in the bedside chair, staring off into space as her mind focused every ounce of concentration on fighting off the waves of guilt that assaulted it. As much as she tried she couldn't help but wonder how she could have let this happen.

Occasionally, as her eyes scanned the room, they would accidentally fall on the tightly wound bandage that protected her friend's wound. A sickening shiver coursed through her entire body every time she saw it and the image was instantly replaced by a much more terrifying one; an ashen, lifeless face, a blood soaked shirt that had once been blue, EMT's frantically working to find any sign of life.

"You still with us B. Davis?"

The voice broke into her mind as though waking her from a deep sleep and she blinked, turning her eyes to its owner. "Huh? Yeah I'm good... I'm... I'm fine."

Peyton eyed her quizzically and for a moment it seemed she would challenge her best friend's obviously false statement. She thought better of it however, knowing that none of them were "fine" right now. Before she was able to offer any further comment, a nurse, whose name she hadn't yet managed to grasp, breezed into the room, pushing a trolley containing various dressings.

"Alright Miss Sawyer, how are we feeling this afternoon?"

Brooke finally cracked a slight smile when Peyton visibly cringed at the nurse's somewhat shrill voice, before plastering on her best fake smile.

"If I say _we_ feel great do I get to go home?"

The blonde's unmistakably sarcastic use of the word 'we' was not lost on Brooke and she fought the urge to snicker. The sickeningly sweet nurse had gotten both of their backs up the moment they'd met her the night before. Brooke wasn't sure what kind of training these people were given, but they seemed to be incapable of addressing anyone as an adult. And what was with the incessant use of the word 'we' anyway?

Nurse Whats-her-name , however, didn't even flinch at the comment. Clearly she was accustomed to irritating the hell out of people.

"Doctor Stephenson is happy to discharge you just as soon as we get that dressing changed."

Brooke's eyes automatically followed the Nurse's actions as she began to undo the bandage on Peyton's leg. The reality of the situation crashed down on her once more with painful force and her stomach somersaulted.

"You know what, um, you probably don't need me here for this so I'll, uh, I'll go grab us some coffees while we wait for your Dad to get here."

She left the room in a rush, making sure to look anywhere but at the bed, where the nurse had almost finished removing Peyton's dressing. As she headed down the sterile white corridor, one simple question reverberated in her mind, taunting her relentlessly; _how could I let this happen_?

...

**3.00pm EST**

**Hospital Cafeteria**

"So does your Grandma know you're here or did you skip town before she could stop you? I'm having coffee with a fugitive now aren't I?"

Cassie laughed, grateful beyond words that Lucas was pulling out all the stops to cheer her up when she knew he was suffering just as badly. "She knows. She actually knew before I did. When she told me what had happened I guess I kinda lost it. But she was great. She had my Uncle Gil make all the arrangements for my flight, packed my bag, everything, all before I even got home."

"You sound surprised." He swallowed the last of his coffee, not bothering to disguise the look of disgust on his face, and crumpled the paper cup tossing it into the nearest bin.

"I guess I am. I mean she's the one who dragged me across the country to get me away from this place."

"Maybe she just realised she made a mistake."

For a reason she couldn't fathom, anger stirred in the pit of her stomach at his words. "Great timing" she spat, immediately regretting her tone. "I'm sorry Luke. I'm just... scared I guess." Her panic returned three fold and she looked at him through terrified eyes. "What if he doesn't wake up?"

He swallowed, averting his eyes in an attempt to prevent her from seeing that her words mirrored his own thoughts. After a moment he looked up, meeting her eyes with an expression of determination and certainty that he wasn't sure he even felt. "He'll wake up, Cass. I know he'll wake up. So let's go."

As he stood a painful twinge pierced his chest and he paused for a second, grimacing before he could stop himself. It occurred to him in that moment that it had been several weeks since he had taken his heart medication.

At the time, throwing the pills away had seemed like the only option. Basketball was his life. Now though, he saw it for what it was... an incredibly selfish and stupid decision. Images of a hospital bed surrounded by his family flooded his mind, only it was him that was lying unconscious.

Maybe it was time to tell the truth about his HCM. So far, only Haley knew about it. And being the ever dutiful and loyal friend that she was, she'd kept his secret. What kind of friend did that make him?

"You ok, Luke?"

_Do it! Just tell her!_

But he couldn't. Not now. Because he knew that as selfish as it had been to keep his condition to himself for the sake of a game, it would be even more selfish to tell them all now, when they were all in so much pain. One person had died. Another still could. He wouldn't make this situation about him. There would be time to tell them later.

"I'm fine" he lied. "Indigestion I guess. I'll be right back."

Cassie frowned in confusion, but chose to accept his words as he made his way towards the restroom. Once he had disappeared from view she turned to head into the hallway.

...

**3.05pm EST**

**Hospital Hallway**

It was not unusual at this time of the day for the hospital to be buzzing with activity. Lunchtime visiting hours were always the same. But what Brooke had always liked about daytime visiting hours was that they always seemed to have a much more positive feel about them. Moods seemed brighter somehow and it was comforting.

Today was different. Today, as she wandered the halls almost robotically, none of the usual hospital activity even registered in her mind. All she wanted more than anything was to run as fast as her feet would carry her, out of the hospital doors and as far away as was humanly possible. She just wanted to get away from it all. She wanted to get back to a place where she could laugh and joke with her friends, or lie with her boyfriend for hours on end talking about nothing in particular. Back to a place where she felt happy... and safe.

But that place felt like it was a million miles away. Like one of those weird recurring dreams where you're running toward something but no matter how fast you run it would get further and further away.

Dark and depressing had never been Brooke's thing. At times it seemed Peyton had enough angst for the both of them. So it was left to Brooke to be the happy-go-lucky, fun loving cheerleader, which was fine with her. It suited her. Admittedly in the past it had caused her to be seen as a somewhat dim-witted party girl. But she'd proved everyone wrong in the last year. And despite a few lingering insecurities surrounding her relationship with Lucas, up until a few days ago, she had been happier than she thought possible.

But since the events at the school the day before, a dark cloud seemed to be hovering over the small town that she loved so much. And she couldn't seem to get out from under it.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she may as well have been walking the halls blindfolded. Somewhere in the back of her mind it registered that she was heading toward the vending machines that lay just down the hall from the cafeteria. It seemed a little silly when the cafeteria was so much closer but the last thing she wanted was to stand in line surrounded by other people.

Had her mind been a little less cloudy she might have seen the girl exiting the cafeteria just as she reached the doors. Instead she collided with her head on, bringing her back to reality with a literal thump.

"Oh! Oh my god, I'm so sorry."

Once Cassie had sufficiently recovered from the collision, she looked up at the brunette and laughed. "It's cool, it was my fault. I should probably look where I'm going more often. Sorry."

"Yeah, you and me both." Brooke joked. "Don't worry about it."

Although she didn't mean to be rude, Brooke was in no mood for small talk, especially with a stranger. She smiled politely and continued on her route toward the vending machines. As she waited for her coffee, she couldn't help but think that there was something about the girl that looked familiar. Tree Hill was a small town, so it wasn't entirely unheard of to see a familiar face around, but what struck Brooke as strange was that she was pretty sure she _hadn't _seen her before.

For a reason she couldn't quite explain, she turned to look back at the girl again, and immediately wished she hadn't.

She watched in stunned silence as her boyfriend, who she hadn't seen or even heard from in over 24 hours, exited the cafeteria, and swung his arm around the stranger's shoulder as though it were the most natural thing in the world. She considered quickly moving out of sight for a moment, but it wasn't necessary as Lucas and the girl headed down the hallway in the opposite direction, not letting go of each other for a second.

...

**3.10pm EST**

**Hospital, 2****nd**** Floor Hallway**

The first thing Lucas noticed upon stepping into the now familiar corridor was that it was alive with activity. The disgustingly pale blue chairs lay empty, nurses wandered in and out of the hospital room opposite and the two people he had left behind had disappeared, presumably into the hospital room.

Panic seized him and he knew Cassie was feeling it too, he felt her tense beside him. Their steps quickened as they approached the room.

Cassie stopped just outside the room, almost too scared to enter. Lucas knew that she hadn't been to Tree Hill in a long time and these weren't exactly perfect conditions for a reunion. He couldn't blame her for being scared.

Swallowing his own fear, he stepped forward and knocked lightly on the door. A moment later, the door opened and his mother appeared.

"Mom? What's going on? Is it Keith?"

At the sight of his mother's tearful smile, relief washed over Lucas.

"He woke up. He's going to be ok." Karen announced happily.

It was only when he heard a mumbled 'Oh thank god' behind him that he remembered there was someone else there, and that he was completely blocking her small form from his mother's view.

"Oh yeah, there's um, someone here to see us."

He stepped aside to reveal a tearful but extremely relieved Cassie.

"Cassie! Oh my gosh!"

Within seconds Cassie once again found herself enveloped in a loving embrace. She laughed lightly through her tears at the warm welcome that she had known she would receive. She just wished that the one person she had wanted to see more than anything could greet her the same way.

As if reading the young girl's thoughts Karen cradled her face in her hands and looked her directly in the eye as she spoke reassuringly. "He's going to be ok. I promise. And he'll be so happy to see you."

Cassie could only nod as Karen wrapped an arm around her shoulder and urged her into the room, closely followed by Lucas. The pair hung back as Cassie approached the bedside. She sucked in a breath as she took in the wires that covered his shirtless chest and the oxygen mask that helped him to breathe. Hesitantly, she reached out and touched his hand, carefully picking it up with her own.

A sob escaped her throat when she felt his hand move and fold around hers. She glanced up at his face and her heart swelled when she saw his eyes begin to flutter open. She grinned when she saw his confused expression give way to one of delight when his eyes finally focused on her.

"Cassie?"

His voice was hoarse and extremely weak, but it was music to Cassie's ears and she squeezed his hand tighter.

"It's me, Dad. I'm here."

**...**

**4:05pm EST**

**Tree Hill Mayor's Office**

For what was probably the millionth time in the last sixty minutes, he paused the video, rewound it for several seconds, and hit play. The screen was fuzzy and filled with static for several seconds, but quickly flickered to life, and was filled with the image of a very familiar face.

The man in the video looked the picture of innocence as he set the bottle of scotch onto the counter and waited to be served. He shot a friendly and effortless smile at the clerk and handed over a $20.

Pause.

Rewind.

Play.

His hand shook a little more with each press of the button marked play. He held the remote in a crushing grip as he focused his attention intently on the face that once again filled the screen before him. His brother. The very word sent a wave of nausea coursing through his body and without thinking he launched the controller across the room, barely even noticing when it smashed into the wall, shattering with the force of the collision.

The bastard was alive.

How was it possible? He had stood and watched as his brother fell to the floor, his body laying motionless almost instantly. He had looked on with a morbid satisfaction as the thin line of crimson liquid that had begun to ooze from the hole in his chest, got thicker and thicker. There was just so much blood. His brother should be dead.

And yet he wasn't.

Through the years he had known himself to be many things, but even he would have never predicted that he would become a murderer... well, attempted murderer, since he had clearly failed. The thought of killing his brother had not for one second entered his head. It was as though his body acted completely separate to his mind. From somewhere far above himself he had watched as his own fingers had closed around the handle of the heavy metallic object, raising it in one swift motion and aiming it directly at the man who, in a simpler time, had been his idol.

The thrill that he had felt when the bullet made contact with its target had scared him at first and for a split second he was overcome by guilt. But as quickly as it had come, it was replaced by an anger so intense it could have fuelled a fire the size of Texas.

He didn't laugh. He didn't even smile. His expression was stony and void of any emotion as he wiped the gun with his jacket and laid it carefully next to the fallen teenager that had unintentionally provided him with the opportunity to end all of his problems for good.

And what a perfect opportunity it had been. A deserted school hallway; a dead teenager who had no way of protesting his innocence; and a loaded handgun, standard issue, probably stolen, and in no way traceable back to him.

A cold fury filled every inch of his body at the thought that he had failed; that the man that he called his brother, the man that had taken everything from him, the man that had tried to take his life, was alive and breathing, lying in a hospital bed surrounded by a family that should have been his.

He jumped slightly as he was broken from his musings by the sound of static screeching through the air as the video automatically ejected itself. Without stopping to switch off the machine, he stood from his desk and strode out of the office.

He needed some air. He needed some time to think about what he would do from here. He knew very well what would happen. His brother would recover and would go back to playing happy families, while he would continue to be looked upon with disgust by those who should be closest to him. And he couldn't allow that to happen.

Dan Scott didn't fail. And he'd be damned if he let that change now.

...

**7.12pm EST**

**Tree Hill Memorial Hospital**

_She stood defiantly, arms folded and a furious scowl planted firmly on her face as she stared down the two adults in front of her who had both quite clearly lost their minds._

"_She looks so adorable in pink", she heard the unfamiliar one say._

_Adorable, she thought to herself. At five years old she wasn't entirely sure, but she thought the word was supposed to mean that she looked nice. Well that was just too bad. Because there was no way on earth that she would be setting foot outside this shop in the horrific item she was wearing at that moment. _

_The adult that she knew knelt down in front of her, smiling brightly._

"_Honey, you look lovely."_

"_No!" She stomped her feet childishly, which she reasoned was perfectly acceptable, since she was in fact a child. "Take it off! It's horrible. I look silly."_

_She lifted the hem of the dress and awkwardly tried to yank it over her head. She was sure she heard a stifled giggle escape from one of the adults when she found herself completely lost in the folds of material, unable to escape._

_After what felt like an eternity of being trapped in a sea of pink, she was relieved when she felt two hands take hold of the material. Her relief was short lived when the hands failed to remove the dress, but simply pulled it firmly back into place._

"_You do not look silly. You look like a princess. And I know your daddy will agree."_

_That had her attention._

"_Really?" For the first time since she had been forced to try on the ugly garment, she smiled. "Do you think my daddy will like it, Aunt Karen?"_

"_I think it's safe to say he'll love it," a familiar voice spoke from behind Karen._

"_Daddy!" Her little legs couldn't carry her fast enough as she launched herself at her father, who swept her up with little effort. "Aunt Karen said that the dress makes me look like a princess, but I think it looks silly, what do you think daddy?"_

"_I think you always look like a princess. But every princess should have her very own princess dress."_

Cassie was stirred from the dream by a gentle hand nudging her shoulder. Glancing up through tired eyes, she saw Karen standing over her.

"Honey, you really should go home and try to get some rest. It can't be comfortable sleeping in that chair."

That was an understatement. She was sure that the faded, old armchair that she had curled up in was designed for no other reason than to torture the poor misguided people who were foolish enough to believe it would be a source of comfort.

She tentatively stretched out her legs, which had previously been curled underneath her, wincing at the cracking noise her knees made in protest to her movements. Glancing down at her watch she was shocked to find that it was almost 7.15pm. She had been sleeping in the chair for almost three hours.

Her father had drifted back into a sound slumber as quickly as he had woken, and she wasn't sure if it had even really registered in his mind that she was really there. She had been concerned by how quickly he had lost consciousness but after checking him over, the nurses had assured her that it was perfectly normal, and that sleeping was the body's way of healing itself. Still she had refused point blank to leave the room, despite the protests of the doctor and had stubbornly folded herself into the armchair at the bedside. She wanted to be there when her father woke up again.

"I don't want to leave him."

Karen, as patient and understanding as ever, simply nodded. "I know honey. Neither do I. But you had a long flight this morning and you must be exhausted. I promise I'll be here. He won't be alone."

She was about to insist that she was fine, but was cut off by a yawn that contradicted the very words her mind had formed.

She caught Karen's smirk and narrowed her eyes playfully at the older woman. "Ok fine, I'm going. But you have to promise to call me the second he wakes up."

"I promise" Karen replied. "Do you want me to call Lucas to come get you?"

Cassie shook her head as she stood from the chair. "Thanks but I'll walk. The fresh air will clear my head."

"You sure you remember the way?"

"Oh ha ha," Cassie said sarcastically as she stepped into the doorway of the room, throwing a grin and a wave in Karen's direction before casting one final look at her father's sleeping form and heading down the corridor.

She wandered slowly through the familiar streets, letting her feet carry her along without paying much thought to where she was headed.

She smiled to herself when she realised that they had carried her to a place that she had loved to visit on a daily basis when she had last lived here. The River Court was exactly as she had remembered it and the moon cast a bright glow over the water that flowed gently alongside it, reminding her of just how much she had missed the place.

Taking a second to enjoy the peace that the early evening darkness brought with it, she hopped up onto the worn wooden bench next to the court and let out a tired but content sigh. Everything was going to be ok. Her father had woken up and the doctor had assured them that he was going to be fine. Those words had been the only ones she had wanted to hear since she had arrived home from her job in Las Vegas to the news that he'd been injured.

Completely lost in her own thoughts, she didn't hear the sound of a car door slamming behind her, or the footsteps that approached the bench where she sat. It wasn't until an all too familiar voice spoke behind her that she realised she was no longer alone.

"Well well, the prodigal daughter returns."

A scowl quickly found its way onto her face as her mind registered the name that went along with the voice, and she was instantly transported back in time to a year earlier.

"_You're getting married?" Cradling the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she set down the cup of hot tea and plate of cookies that she had brought up to her room, before flopping down onto her bed, stunned. "Don't you think it's a little fast? You've known Jules all of a few months."_

_She heard her father laugh into the phone at her overprotective reaction. _

"_I know Cass, but you should meet her. She's amazing. I promise you're gonna love her. The wedding's in three weeks. Do you think you can make it out here in time?"_

As it had turned out, Cassie couldn't make it out in time for the wedding, a fact that she was now partially relieved and partially angry about. A week before she was due to fly out to Tree Hill, her grandmother had taken ill, and since her Uncle Gil worked nights and there was no other family around to look after her, the job fell to Cassie. She had been so disappointed that she couldn't be there for her father, but at the same time she knew that had she been there when it was revealed that her uncle had paid Jules to intentionally break her father's heart, she wouldn't have been held accountable for her actions.

She turned to face that same Uncle as he stood before her, the very sight of him making her want to vomit.

"Dan. How nice to see you again!"

She hoped her words carried the amount of sarcasm that she had intended them to, and was satisfied when the expression on Dan's face confirmed that they had.

"Well now that's no way to speak to your favourite Uncle is it?" he asked smugly.

She shook her head in full agreement. "No you're right it's not. So I guess it's a good thing that I'm not speaking to my Uncle. As far as I'm concerned _Dan," _she spat out his name as though it were a filthy word, "you're no relative of mine."

"How's my brother?" he asked, with what Cassie could have sworn was a shadow of a smirk, ignoring her angry words completely.

She pushed herself away from the bench and stood defiantly before her Uncle, a fire igniting inside her at his casual reference to her father's condition.

"Oh save me the concerned brother act would you? I'm not buying it. You didn't care too much about how he was when you set him up with that whore of yours."

Dan grinned as though they were discussing one of his proudest achievements and Cassie found herself wondering when the man had become so unhinged.

"I wouldn't bother looking so pleased with yourself if I were you. What exactly did your little game ever achieve? If anything you did my Dad a favour. If it wasn't for your interference, he and Karen may never have gotten engaged and he probably wouldn't be about to adopt Lucas."

Bingo.

As she had suspected, Dan hadn't yet been made privy to that little bit of information. For a fraction of a second, his composure slipped and he looked genuinely taken aback. Unable to stop herself despite knowing she should, she continued to bait her Uncle.

"Yeah I bet that sucks to know doesn't it? You know pretty soon you're going to have no family left... oh, too late they already came to their senses and ditched you."

Dan's expression darkened in anger and he took a step toward her.

"Cass?"

Cassie turned her head at the sound of a third voice and she smirked when she noticed Lucas stop at her side.

"Oh look, if it isn't my _brother._"

Lucas cast a confused glance from Cassie to Dan and back again, immediately wary of what was going on.

"What's going on Cass?"

Dan answered for her. "Well it seems your... _sister..._ here has a very smart mouth on her."

Just as Cassie was about to show him exactly how 'smart' her mouth really was, Lucas stepped between them, planting himself in front of Cassie protectively.

"Yeah well that seems to be the effect you have on people. So why don't you just leave?"

Dan smirked and looked past Lucas, meeting Cassie's eyes once again. "Welcome back sweetie. I'll be seeing you."

Without even casting a glance back toward his biological son, Dan turned on his heel and casually strolled back to his Yukon. Lucas stared after him, not taking his eyes off the man until he was certain that he was long gone. Once the vehicle disappeared from sight, he turned back to Cassie.

Although she knew she was about to be given a lecture, the only thing that registered in Cassie's mind when Lucas turned to her, was that the serious look in his eyes was the exact same look that he father often gave her when she'd done something wrong. In that moment, she noticed for the first time since she'd arrived back in Tree Hill, how much Lucas had grown to resemble her father. She bit back a smile at the thought, knowing that now was not the time to point out her observations.

"You mind explaining what that was all about?"

She almost broke out laughing then. Apparently physical appearance wasn't the only thing he had in common with her father.

"Nothing." Seeing his sceptical expression she rolled her eyes. "Seriously Lucas, I was on my way home and I just kind of ended up here. He ran into me. Not the other way around."

Relenting from the big brother act slightly, Lucas sighed. "Alright but do you think maybe you could watch that smart ass mouth of yours around him? In case you've forgotten in your time away, he's not a nice person to piss off."

"I'd gathered." When he raised an eyebrow at her response, she let out a groan of mock frustration. "Alright alright, I'll try and curb my 'smart ass mouth' in future. Jeez it's not hard to tell which Scott brother you were raised by."

Lucas laughed and hopped up onto the bench where Cassie had once again perched herself. "I'll take it from that and your little wise crack at Dan before that Keith told you about the adoption."

"Of course. I knew he was going to ask before your mom even did. It was quite amusing actually, he was so nervous about asking you he could barely form a coherent sentence."

"So you're ok with this?"

"Sure. I think it's an awesome idea." She swiped the basketball that he had placed between his feet and stood up on the creaky wooden bench, shooting the ball and grinning as it sailed through the net with ease. "And judging by that little display just now, you've clearly got the whole big brother thing down. Plus being your little sister by definition means that it's my job to be annoying as hell and perv on your hot friends, so it's a pretty sweet deal if you ask me."

"Ah but being your big brother by definition means that it's my assumed right to embarrass you at any given opportunity, not to mention to be crazily overprotective."

"All of which you do anyway." She shot back, smirking when he narrowed his eyes at her. Holding the basketball in her hands she stopped in front of him and turned serious. "Really Luke, you know I've always thought of you as a big brother anyway, and Dad's always thought of you as a son. So the only thing that's changing is the paperwork that makes it official."

Hopping down from the bench, he swiped the ball back from her and landed a perfect jump shot of his own. "It's good to have you back... _sis_!"

...

**9.17pm EST**

**Tree Hill Memorial Hospital**

The hospital hallway was deserted, exactly as he had hoped. He supposed it wasn't unusual considering it was shortly after 9pm. Visiting hours had ended over an hour ago. He'd walked past the nurse's station with ease, the lone nightshift nurse barely paying attention as she simply glanced up and smiled before turning her head back to her stack of paper work.

Of course it wasn't really unusual for him to receive that kind of treatment. It wasn't like the Mayor of Tree Hill was going to pose any kind of threat to anyone. The irony of the thought struck him as quite funny as he made his way toward a room he hadn't yet visited.

Carefully, and as quietly as possible, he pushed down on the handle and eased open the door. His brother's sleeping form was the first thing that his eyes fell upon. His bare chest rose and fell steadily in time with his breathing.

Dan gritted his teeth and his hand closed a little tighter around the door handle, as his eyes fell to his brother's side and met a mass of dark brown curls splayed out around a peacefully sleeping face.

Karen Roe. His high school sweetheart. Thinking back to when he was eighteen, he couldn't remember ever being more in love. Every little thing about her amazed him. He'd been the star of the basketball team, a typical big man on campus; she'd been captain of the cheerleading squad. It wasn't entirely unexpected when they got together. What was unexpected was the rush of feelings that came with their first kiss, and every other kiss they shared after that. He could spend hours lost completely in her eyes, content just to have her in his arms.

And now 18 years later, here he was, looking on as she slept, clutching his brother's hand as though it were a lifeline. To Dan, the picture he saw before him was love in its purest form.

Bile rose in his throat and a wave of hatred surged through his veins. Flashes of memories from the last eighteen years played in his mind like a movie; Keith laughing with Karen in the cafe as the pair shared a friendly breakfast, Keith hoisting a six year old Lucas onto his shoulders as the young boy proudly made his first basket, Keith comforting Karen outside the school the previous day as he swore that he wouldn't let anything happen to 'their boy'.

At the time Keith's choice of words had meant nothing to him, he'd been more focused on his brother's arms wrapped tightly around the woman that should have been his. But Cassie's revelation at the River Court had brought a whole new meaning to the term, a meaning that made Dan sick to his stomach.

His thoughts turned to the blonde haired girl who was a carbon copy of his brother in every way. She had grown into quite a strong young woman. And the love between father and daughter was evident. Just how would his brother react, he wondered, if something, or more accurately someone, was to get in the way of that?

For the first time in the last day and a half, Dan almost found himself feeling grateful that his brother had somehow survived the gunshot that should have ended his life. Had it not been the case, the fiery young female version of his brother would likely never have returned. And he would never have been given the chance to show his brother just how it feels to have your whole world turned upside down.


	2. I Forgot to Remember to Forget

**A/N: Hope everyone liked the first chapter! And a big big thank you to LukeandLorelai Brucas Fan for my first review! Hopefully you'll enjoy the rest of the story just as much.**

**I've decided to name the chapters using actual Episode names that fit the content of the chapter. It's going to seem quite random because they're from different seasons but I need them to be appropriate to the story too.**

**There are a couple of brief guest appearances in this chapter from another show that I adore. I couldn't resist! Hehe! Most of you who know the show will already know who it is after reading the first chapter but don't worry if you don't know who they are. Everything you need to know is explained throughout the story and for now they're only guests. They're not critical to the overall plot.**

**And lastly, you'll notice that I have 'borrowed' a scene from an actual episode (and not as a flashback) but changed it ever so slightly. Since I don't want to be sued (ha! Like I have anything anyway!) I'll state now that some of the dialogue used in this chapter is not mine and belongs specifically to the writers/producers of the actual show. It will probably happen a few times over the course of the story as I feel that some of the scenes from chapters after 3.16 are too important to leave out. And while I'm on with the legal crap, I will also say that I do not own One Tree Hill, or any of its characters etc (if I did, trust me the show would be **_**very**_** different :-P). I do, however, own Cassie.**

**Anyway, enough babbling, on with the show. Hope you enjoy. Please let me know what you think...**

**Chapter 2 – I Forgot to Remember to Forget**

**Wednesday 25****January 2006**

**9.30am EST**

**Tree Hill Memorial Hospital - Room 210**

"How's he doing?"

The unexpected voice jolted Karen out of her half sleep and she jumped slightly, turning to greet the owner.

Cassie raised an eyebrow and eyed the older woman with concern. "Scratch that, how're you doing? No offense or anything Karen but Dad looks in better shape than you right now."

It wasn't a lie. It wasn't even an exaggeration. Karen looked exhausted. Her skin, free of any make up, looked pale and drawn, her eyes were bloodshot and her normally neatly styled hair was a mass of unruly tangled curls sticking out in every direction. Cassie glanced at her watch. 9.30am. She'd place a good bet that Karen had been there all night, since she never heard her come home the night before.

"Did you sleep in that chair all night?"

Karen shifted in the chair, trying to find a comfortable position before realising it was a battle she wouldn't win. She replied through a yawn. "Kind of."

Cassie laughed and took a seat beside her soon to be step-mother, handing her a cup of steaming hot Vanilla Latte, which Karen was only too happy to accept. "So really how is he?" She noted the fact that several of the wires had been removed from her father's chest and his face was now unobstructed by the oxygen mask that had been in place the day before. It had to be a good sign.

"He slept through the night, which the doctor seems to be quite pleased about. They actually seem pretty pleased with his progress. He should wake up any..." she was cut off mid-sentence by another yawn and she closed her eyes, massaging her temples in an attempt to wake herself up.

"Ok that's it, out!" Cassie demanded.

"What?"

"You heard me. Out! You're exhausted Karen. You can barely keep your eyes open. You sent me home yesterday now I'm doing the same for you. So seriously, out! My Dad will go crazy if he wakes up and sees you doing this to yourself."

"She's right, he will."

Both women turned, startled by the voice. Cassie's heart soared when she saw her father opening his eyes sleepily. "Dad!"

"Hey kiddo." He smiled and took her hand when she reached out for him. With his free hand he reached out for Karen, who quickly laced her fingers through his, squeezing his hand for dear life. "What's this about you sleeping in the chair all night?"

"Most of the night."

"_All_ of the night," Cassie piped up, earning herself a mock glare from Karen, which only caused her to grin widely.

Keith tried to say something else, but being unconscious for almost two days had left his throat dry and he was interrupted by a fit of coughing. Concerned that he would split the stitches where he'd had surgery to remove the bullet, Karen quickly reached for the jug of water that had been placed fresh on the bedside cabinet earlier that morning. She placed a straw in the plastic beaker and filled it half way. Keith sipped the cold liquid gratefully as his fiancée held it to his lips. Once his throat felt slightly less like sandpaper, he cleared it and made another attempt to speak.

"How's Lucas? Is he ok?"

"Sssh." Karen ran a hand through his hair soothingly. "He's fine. He wasn't hurt. You got there before anything happened. Do you remember much?" She questioned him tentatively, not wanting to bring back a flood of memories too soon but feeling the need to get a better understanding of why this had happened.

Keith shook his head. "I remember being outside the school. Luke had gone in after Nathan. I remember talking to Danny. I asked him to get me inside so I could try to talk to Jimmy."

Cassie frowned at her father's words. Dan had helped him get inside the school? The fact struck her as strange. Dan Scott helped no-one but himself. And why would even Dan allow his own brother into a school where he knew a kid had a gun?

"After that... nothing," Keith continued. "Is Jimmy ok?"

Sadness overwhelmed Cassie at the mention of the boy she grew up with. Jimmy had been one of the kindest people she'd ever known. How had it gotten so bad that he would go as far as shooting up a school? When Lucas had filled her in on the events at the high school, she'd taken it badly. Lucas had spoken angrily of Jimmy, furious that he had almost taken Keith from them, but Cassie didn't feel angry with him. All she felt was guilt. She couldn't help feeling like she'd let him down, maybe if she'd been there to talk to him, she could have helped him.

Keith didn't fail to notice the tears glistening in his daughter's eyes and he turned back to Karen, a questioning look in his eyes.

She looked back at him sadly and shook her head. "The police said that after he shot you, he turned the gun on himself. He was gone by the time they got to him."

Keith fell silent. For some reason, despite the fact that he had no memory of what had happened, the news didn't shock him. Somewhere deep inside something had already told him what the news would be but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. He shook off the thoughts, turning his attention back to Karen. "You should go home." When she made a move to protest he held up his hand firmly. "I'm serious. The last thing I want is you exhausting yourself. Besides, you didn't look too comfortable earlier."

"You were awake? Why didn't you wake me?"

"Because you need your sleep. Plus you looked too cute to disturb." He smirked when his daughter made a gagging sound at his comment, then turned back to Karen. "Please, go home, get some sleep. I'll cope without you for a few hours. It won't be easy, but I'll manage."

"Oh please, please go before he gets any cheesier." Cassie begged, rolling her eyes at the pair dramatically.

Karen looked unsure, but relented. "Ok since you're awake, I'll go. I'll be back in a few hours." She stood and leaned over the bed, dropping a gentle kiss on his lips. "I'm so glad you're ok. I love you." She kissed him once more then straightened up and turned to Cassie. "Keep him out of trouble."

"I'll try." Cassie laughed, standing to give Karen a hug. "I'll see you soon."

When Karen had left, Cassie pulled the chair as close to the bed as was physically possible and took her father's hand in both of hers. "You scared me."

Keith brought his daughter's hand to his lips and kissed it. "I know. I'm sorry."

She smiled and blinked away the tears that had appeared from nowhere. "It's ok I guess. Just don't go getting yourself shot again anytime soon."

"Cross my heart." Keith joked, making a cross across his chest with his free hand. "Are you ok honey? I know that Jimmy was your friend."

She looked away and began fidgeting uncomfortably with the hem of the bed sheet, not really wanting to discuss the situation. "Yeah I guess I'm ok. Mouth called Lucas last night. Jimmy's funeral is on Tuesday. Luke refuses to even consider going. He's mad at Jimmy for what he did to you."

"And what about you?"

She shrugged. "I just don't understand how it got so bad that he would do something like that. It doesn't seem like him at all, what he was like before I left anyway. I feel like I let him down. He was my friend and when I left I promised I'd keep in touch but I didn't."

"Hey." Keith squeezed her hand, gesturing for her to look at him. When she finally met his eyes, he spoke softly but sternly. "None of this is your fault. You moved away, you guys lost touch, it happens. If he'd wanted to talk he could have contacted you by email or phone. I don't think Jimmy really felt like he could talk to anyone about how he was feeling. Do you want to go to the funeral?"

She nodded.

"Ok then you should go. Lucas will come around. I'll talk to him. I'm not mad at Jimmy for what happened, and neither you nor Lucas should be either."

"I know. I don't think that's the only thing on Luke's mind though. He seemed really preoccupied when we got home last night. I get the feeling there's something else going on."

...

**10.46am EST**

**Tree Hill High School**

Lucas stared thoughtfully at the empty corridor where he had last stood. Memories that had previously been nothing but a blur began assaulting his mind with terrifying clarity.

"_Hey where do you think you're going?"_

_He froze at the sound of the familiar voice, looking up to find himself staring into a pair of eyes that he no longer recognised. Jimmy stood before him, one of his oldest friends, with a shiny black, hand gun aimed directly at his chest. "She's bleeding."_

"_The schools are in lockdown!"_

_Jimmy's eyes were wild and the gun shook in his hand. He looked genuinely terrified. Lucas had never seen this side of him before and began to wonder just when he had stopped knowing his friend. The weight of Peyton's limp form in his arms reminded him of where he was headed and he finally found his voice._

"_I know Jim. But if I don't get her out of here she's gonna die."_

"_I didn't mean to hurt her."_

"_We know that Jimmy."_

As he stood there staring into the deserted hallway, Lucas could almost feel the fear that had gripped him when his uncle had stepped out into the hallway, intentionally placing himself between Lucas and the gun. That was Keith. Always looking out for him, protecting him, being there when Lucas needed him. The thought that he'd almost lost that was far too much to bear.

He pulled himself away from the hallway and stepped through the glass doors that led to the library. The first thing he noticed when he glanced around the room was that he was not alone. He paused at the entrance for a moment, staring at the familiar female who was sitting silently at one of the tables, staring into space, obviously lost in her own thoughts.

Peyton finally looked up as he approached the table, taking a seat beside her.

"Hey."

Her voice was quiet and it was clear to him that she'd been crying. He decided to try and lighten the situation a bit. "Man we should really stop meeting up like this."

It had the desired effect. Peyton smiled and let out a soft laugh. "I never did thank you," she almost whispered.

"Hey!" He reached out, placing his hand over hers in the hope of offering her some form of comfort. "It's ok."

"God I'm such a girl!" she covered her face with her hands, berating herself for the tears that once again seemed to appear from nowhere.

"You love me." Lucas teased, partly in an effort to cheer his crying friend up, and partly because it was an issue that he knew he needed to address.

Having spent most of the previous evening thinking over the time they spent in the library during the shooting, he was almost completely convinced that Peyton had not meant the words in a romantic way. As far as he was concerned, she was bleeding and scared for her life, and her telling him she loved him and kissing him the way she had, had seemed more like a goodbye than anything else. But he had to be sure.

"Ok that is so not fair!"

Well his words certainly seemed to have stopped the tears so his light hearted approach was obviously working.

"You probably just wanna kiss me again!"

"Dude shut up!" she pleaded, clearly embarrassed, and fumbled for an explanation. "Ok I kissed you but I... I thought I was gonna die, and you took care of me so..." She turned her gaze away from him then, looking down at the table top guiltily. "And you know we..."

"Yeah." He cut her off, saving them both from bringing up a painful past. "I know."

Silence filled the air and all of a sudden Peyton looked uncomfortable, almost like she didn't want to be around him. It hurt. Their past had been complicated and he knew that it would always be there between them. That was something that he knew he shared with her. That slight sting of guilt that he still felt every time he looked in Brooke's eyes, every time she told him she loved him; he knew Peyton felt it too. But he didn't want to lose her as a friend, especially after having come so close to losing her altogether.

"If I told you I loved you would you hold it against me?" he joked.

She sighed sadly. "Luke when I said that..."

"Because I do, Peyton." He interrupted, turning serious. "But it's ok, because there's this other girl, I mean you might know her, her name's Brooke Davis and I am _completely_ in love with her." He emphasised the word 'completely' ever so slightly. He'd made the mistake of giving out mixed signals before and it had cost him Brooke. He wouldn't let that happen again.

Luckily for him, Peyton apparently felt the same.

"You don't know how good it is to hear you say that," she said with a look of genuine relief. "Cause I thought everything was gonna get weird again and I really don't want it to. We're ok right, you and me... we're good?"

He smiled reassuringly and nodded, glad that the air had been cleared and relieved that he had been right about her feelings.

"Alright...I should go." She grabbed her crutches and pulled herself carefully to her feet.

As he watched her hobble away he couldn't resist one last quip. "Hey don't kiss anybody out there."

She stopped and turned back to him, throwing a mock scowl over her shoulder. "You suck, you know that!"

He laughed and watched her as she left, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. But as much as one weight had been lifted in knowing that Peyton didn't have feelings for him, one much heavier weight remained. He and Peyton were not in love, that much he was certain of. But despite that, the kiss they had shared had ultimately shattered the promise that he had made to Brooke that he wouldn't hurt her again. He'd broken her trust once, and it had been a full blown miracle that she had found a way to forgive him. He wasn't sure she'd be so forgiving a second time around.

...

**11.15am**

**River Court**

Since most of her life had been spent in a noisy and bustling household, Haley had come to rely on the River Court to bring her a sense of peace. It was somewhere she could retreat to whenever she needed to simply spend a few moments enjoying the silence. Over the years since she and her friends had started going there, it had become almost their own special place, since it was very rarely used by anyone but them. But Haley had immediately seen it as more than just a place to play basketball, and there had been many a time when she had visited alone, content to sit and watch the world go by while she tried to sort through whatever it was going on in her head that had prompted her to go there.

Today was different though. Today, instead of seeking out some peace and quiet, she was desperately trying to avoid it. Because in the last forty eight hours, whenever she had found herself sitting in silence, memories of her old friend's crazed and terrified expression as he held a gun toward her filled her mind. So right now, the River Court was the last place that would be able to help her.

But she wasn't there for herself.

The last time she had seen her best friend their world had still been a perfectly carefree place. After the shooting, Lucas and Karen had been whisked straight to the hospital with Keith, and she would place a safe bet that they'd been there ever since. She had wanted to go to the hospital, but had always stopped herself at the last second, telling herself that it was better to leave them to deal with everything as a family. But in truth, she was scared; scared to face the new reality that had been brought on by that day. A reality where a man, as good and honest as Keith, was barely clinging to his life.

She knew she couldn't put it off any longer.

But as she approached the blacktop, it wasn't her best friend that she spotted perched on the old wooden bench. It was another of her friends, one who she knew was carrying around the same weight from that day that she was, if not a heavier one.

"Hey Mouth."

"Haley, hey." He moved over to make some space for her on the bench. "You looking for Lucas?"

"Yeah. I guess he's still at the hospital."

"Any news on Keith?"

"Deb called Nathan last night. Apparently he woke up yesterday but it was only for a few minutes. The doctor's said it's a good sign though. They're pretty sure he's going to be ok."

Mouth exhaled heavily in relief. "That's great. Really great." His words were genuine but he couldn't help but feel as though they didn't carry the amount of happiness that they should. Of course he was pleased that Keith was going to be ok, but he never would've been in the hospital in the first place if Mouth had just made a little more effort to stay in touch with his former best friend. A friend that was now gone forever.

"Yeah. How're you doing?" She knew it was a stupid question, but hoped it would get him talking anyway.

"Honestly, I feel like I'm stuck inside a really bad dream. I just wish I could wake up. It's my fault."

"The shooting? Mouth that's crazy. You couldn't have know that..."

"But I could've made more of an effort. He was my best friend Haley. And I just abandoned him."

"That's not true." She put a comforting arm around her old friend's shoulder. "Jimmy's problems ran a lot deeper than losing touch with his friends. Plenty of people lose contact or drift apart. There was so much more to it than that. Stuff that none of us could've possibly known about."

"I guess I just don't get how it could've gotten so bad. It's hard enough to understand why he would bring a gun to school... but for him to shoot Keith? It doesn't make any sense."

"I don't think anything about that day makes sense. I doubt it ever will. And it's gonna take us all a long time to come to terms with it. But it'll take even longer if you try to do it alone. We're all here for you, Mouth." She left him to consider her words, hoping that they'd gotten through. If there was one thing that she was sure of it was that none of them would ever forget Jimmy, or what had happened. She just hoped that if they stuck together, they'd be able to get past it enough to remember the boy they'd all known without also thinking of that day.

...

**11.53am EST**

**Tree Hill Memorial Hospital – Room 210**

"So how long do I get to keep you for this time?" Keith questioned, watching with amusement as his daughter fiddled with a small radio that one of the nurses had brought in, insisting that the reason people took so long to recover in hospital was that they were 'too damn depressing'.

"How does forever sound?" At his quizzical look, she laughed and filled him in on what he'd missed while unconscious. "I spoke to Nana this morning before I came in. I'd totally psyched myself up to tell her that I wasn't coming back and that she'd just have to accept it. But as it turned out she'd already arranged and paid for my stuff to be shipped over here. It should get here tomorrow, God I love FedEx!"

At the thought of his little girl coming home for good, Keith felt happier than he thought possible after being almost killed. The last four years without her had been torture for him. The pain he had felt when Karen had turned down his proposal, or when he had found out the truth about Jules, was nothing in comparison to what he had felt the day that she had been taken from him. It was a day that he would never forget.

_As he stared across the room at the tearful thirteen year old, he felt as though his heart was being ripped from his chest. For the last hour, as he had gone in and out of her room moving her belongings to the downstairs hallway, he'd listened to her painful sobs and despised himself for not being able to offer her any comfort. Now, she was perched on the window seat in her room, staring out at the town that he knew she desperately didn't want to leave. He knew it because he felt it too, just as desperately._

"_Honey? Your grandma is here. You ready?"_

_She didn't speak. She didn't even turn to look at him. She just continued to stare out of the window and shook her head. _

_He sighed heavily, willing himself not to let his own tears show. He wanted to make this as easy for her as possible, and if she was to see him cry, not even wild horses would be able to pull her away. He crossed the room and sat down beside her._

_She refused to meet his eyes, focusing instead on the tatty brown teddy bear she held in her arms. He smiled at the familiar item, remembering how her little face had lit up when he'd given it to her for her sixth birthday. She'd held onto it ever since, insisting on dragging it everywhere they went. When they had dinner, the bear had its own place at the table; when he tucked her in at night she'd refuse to even consider the concept of sleep until he had also kissed teddy goodnight. _

_His favourite memory was not long after he had given her the toy. He and Karen had promised to take Cassie and Lucas to the movies and she had thrown the mother of all tantrums when he had refused to pay for a separate seat for Teddy. Eventually of course, he had given in and the stuffed toy had not only gotten its own seat, but its very own popcorn and soda as well. Every few minutes, when his daughter wasn't looking, he would sneak a handful of popcorn and a drink of soda, much to the amusement of Karen and Lucas. As long as he lived he would never forget the look of delight on her little face when she turned to him and squealed 'Daddy, Teddy ate all of his treats!' Looking at her at that moment, he would've given anything to get back that expression._

_After what seemed like an eternity of silence, she finally looked up at him. She'd done a lot of growing up since that day, she was a teenager now. But in that moment, looking at him through sad, tearful eyes, she was his baby girl again. She sniffed and wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands, then held out the teddy, gesturing for him to take it._

"_Teddy wants to stay. He said he doesn't want you to be lonely. He promised that he would look after you while I'm gone."_

_He almost broke down right then, covering a sob by clearing his throat and blinking away tears. He took the teddy from her and stood, holding out his hand. She hesitated for a moment, then took it and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet._

_Never letting go of his hand, she let him lead her down the stairs to the front porch where her Grandmother was stood beside Karen. She met the woman's eyes with barely contained disdain and immediately went to pieces. Turning back to him she threw herself into his arms, wrapping her own tightly around him and burying her head in his chest. His reaction was automatic as he folded her into his embrace protectively, casting a hateful glance at the woman responsible for separating them._

"_Please Daddy." She hadn't called him Daddy since she was nine. "Please don't make me go."_

"_You know I don't want to baby," he soothed, stroking her soft, blonde hair in an attempt to calm her. "But the judge said you have to. It's only for a little while. I promise."_

_Not able to take anymore, he gestured to her grandmother, who came forward and grasped her hand, pulling her away from her father. Her sobs turned to agonising wails as she was led to the car. And as the car door slammed shut behind her, he could almost hear the sound of his heart breaking into a million pieces. There, in that moment, watching the black Sedan disappear out of sight, Keith Scott fell apart._

"Erm, hello... earth to Dad! Have you left the building?"

He was brought back from his thoughts by that very same only not so little girl, waving a hand in front of his face and looking at him with through amused eyes.

"Where did you go just now?"

He toyed with the idea of lying, not wanting to remind her of a day that he wished he could forget, but he knew that she would see through it instantly. She knew him too well.

"Um, I was just thinking about the day you left."

All traces of amusement left her face and her beautiful blue eyes clouded over with an emotion that he couldn't decipher. It was a look that held sadness, anger, and regret all at the same time, and he found himself wishing he'd lied.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't do more to make them let you stay."

In all the times he'd visited her in Vegas, they'd never spoken about the day she left, choosing instead to enjoy the time they were able to spend together, given that it was only a couple of weeks at a time. But almost being killed two days before had made him aware of just how lucky he was to have another chance at really being her father, and now that she was older, he felt it was an appropriate time to bring it up.

"What? Dad I don't.."

"No," he interrupted. "I'm your father. I should have done something, fought harder to stop them taking you away from me. I let you down... and I'm sorry."

"I don't blame you," she said softly, her eyes shining with fresh tears. "I never did. I blame Teresa."

He tensed slightly at the reference to her mother, not missing the fact that she still refused to refer to the woman as Mom.

"She's the reason Grandma fought for custody of me. She's the one who made out that you were some kind of abusive alcoholic. Which is ironic really when you consider the fact that she ran off with a junkie."

"Do you remember much about her?"

Cassie shook her head. "Not really. I guess it's not surprising, I was what, two years old when she left?"

He nodded. "Almost."

"I don't really remember her face, or the sound of her voice, but I remember when I lived with Nana, every now and again I would catch a smell of this sweet perfume and for some reason it would make me feel like I knew her, like I had a memory of her."

"She's the one who missed out you know? It's her loss, not yours."

He couldn't blame her for being angry with her mother, he was too. From the moment his daughter was born, Keith was smitten. He had never thought it possible to love someone as much as he loved Cassie the first time she wrapped her tiny hand around his finger. Teresa hadn't been interested, more focused on the fact that the body that she worked so hard to keep in shape had been 'tainted' as she used to refer to it. He had to hand it to her; she'd stuck it out for a year and a half before she bolted after he'd finally lost his temper and fought for custody.

"I guess that's maybe why Nana did what she did. Whenever I would get into trouble, she would yell at me that she failed my mother and she wouldn't allow me to go down the same path. I think she just felt guilty. The way she looked at it, I'd missed out on having a Mom around. It's her fault that I had to leave, not yours. The past is what it is, there's nothing we can do about it. Besides, I'm home now. And there's no way you're getting rid of me again."

**...**

**1.25pm**

**Keith's House**

The original plan had been to stop by the house just quick enough to grab a couple of things; the essential items that her fiancé would need while he was in the hospital. So when she glanced at the clock and realised that an hour had passed she was shocked to say the least.

Since Keith had opened his eyes the day before, the weight she had felt deep in her chest had begun to lift. It would take him a while to recover fully, but the fact that he _would_ recover was enough to allow her to breathe again. Still, she knew that she had never really taken the time over the last two days to allow herself to deal with what had happened. Because any time thoughts of losing her fiancé and son crept into her head, she felt the heaviness descending again, pressing down hard on her chest. It was too much to comprehend. And right now it was more important for her to be there to help Keith and Lucas deal with the tragedy. So she did what she did best; she distracted herself with menial tasks and plastered a smile on her face.

As she carried the overflowing bag down the stairs, the front door opened. She expected to see her son, or Cassie; which is why, when Dan's tall frame filled the doorway, at first she was too taken aback to be angry.

He glanced around, taking in the boxes that Karen had made a start on packing. "Wow. Uh, they did tell you that Keith is still alive right? Not time to give his things to charity just yet."

"Real funny Dan. You do remember it's your brother who almost died? Would a little sensitivity really be too much to ask?" It was a rhetorical question and she left him no time to answer. "I'm sorry, my mistake. I guess I forgot who I was talking to for a moment."

"How's my niece? I hear she's back in town." He intentionally left out the fact that he'd already seen her; curious as to whether she'd mentioned their little encounter herself.

"How do you know about that?"

He shrugged. "Tree Hill is a small town. Word gets around."

The mention of Cassie made Karen feel somewhat uneasy. Dan rarely brought something up for no reason, and she knew he still held his brother responsible for the dealership fire that almost claimed his life. She had hoped the man might suddenly grow a heart after learning that Keith had been shot. But apparently he still had an axe to grind.

"She almost lost her father. How do you think she's doing? And the last thing she needs is to have to deal with you, so do one decent thing in your life, stay away from her."

He picked up a framed photograph of Karen and Keith at a carnival with Lucas and Cassie, who were ten years old at the time it was taken. Karen remembered the day well.

"Quite the little family you guys are building. I guess it's complete now that Cassie is back. Lucky thing Keith survived really. It'd be a real shame if anything were to ruin it."

Having dealt with Dan's behaviour for the last seventeen years, Karen was usually able to take his cutting words with a pinch of salt. But something about his words and the tone of his voice as he spoke them, sent a chill racing down her spine. "I think you should leave."

He smiled and held up his hands in a sarcastic gesture of surrender before turning to leave.

"Dan," she called after him, glaring at him when he paused at the door and turned back toward her. "Stay away from my kids."

**...**

**3.05pm EST**

**Tree Hill Memorial Hospital - Room 210**

Lucas approached the room almost hesitantly, not completely sure as to why he was stalling but still not quite able to shake the feeling that he didn't deserve to be there. He hadn't been to the hospital since Keith had woken up, despite the fact that it had killed him to stay away. But seeing the man who had been the only real father figure he'd ever known, lying there so weak, so disoriented... it had only served as a reminder of the pain he had caused.

It wasn't as if he had pulled the trigger himself, but he couldn't help but feel like he may as well have. If he hadn't gone back into the school two days before, none of this would be happening. And if he felt that way, then maybe there was a small part of Keith that felt it too.

He paused at the door, looking on as the man that he loved and admired most in the world, chatted happily with his cousin... or should he say his sister? Cassie herself had referred to him as her brother only the night before. But could Keith still honestly want him as his son after he had not only almost cost him his life, but then had been too gutless to even confront him about it when he first woke up.

Keith chose that moment to look up and catch his eye. But there was no anger in his expression. His eyes held not a trace of blame. He actually looked happy to see him. Cassie turned her head then, following Keith's gaze.

"Hey bro. We were wondering where you got to."

Lucas forced an awkward smile and entered the room, hovering close to the doorway as though he might bolt back through it at any moment. Apparently Cassie and Keith had both picked up on his mood as they shared a look, then Cassie stood.

"Uh, I've got some calls I need to make to Vegas so I guess I'll head home for a while. See you in a couple of hours. Love you." She leaned over to drop a kiss on her father's cheek, and then headed for the door, glancing at Lucas with a teasing glint in her eye. "Ok yeah I guess I love you too."

He couldn't help but grin at her mocking tone and playful jab to the shoulder as she passed, and finally he felt himself begin to relax.

Keith watched his soon to be son fidget nervously, as though there was a tension between them, and he had to admit it hurt a little to think that Lucas would truly believe he would blame him for what had happened. But what hurt him more was that Lucas was clearly blaming himself.

"Would you quit fidgeting and come sit down?" he joked, hoping it would break the tension. "I was beginning to think you were never gonna come see me."

"Yeah I um, I guess I just..."

Keith quickly cut him off. "Luke this was not your fault. Hey, look at me..."

The younger boy faltered for a second, then finally met his eyes.

"It was _not_ your fault, understand? I don't want you carrying this guilt around with you, and I definitely don't want it to change anything between you and me. I don't blame you. Your mom and Cassie don't blame you. In fact the only person around here, who _is_ blaming you, is _you._"

"But if I hadn't gone back into that school then..."

"Then your brother would have been in there alone, and Peyton probably wouldn't be alive right now. Answer me this, you ran into that school to stop Nathan right?" When Lucas nodded, he finished the sentence that he knew would win him the argument. "So if Jimmy had shot you, and you were lying in this bed right now, would you blame Nathan?"

"I guess not."

"Luke, we're all gonna carry that day around with us for a long time, but you can't let it eat you up. If you're gonna let it change you, make it for the better, not worse. Learn from it. Life is short, so live it the best you can, while you can." He was pleased to see that his words appeared to be getting through, and decided to broach the subject that he knew would be the toughest. "One more thing, I want you to let go of this anger you're carrying toward Jimmy."

Lucas' expression darkened visibly, but Keith could sense that there was also an underlying guilt there too. It was typical Lucas. Feeling like he could have done something..._should_ have done something more. It was like he took the responsibility for protecting everyone he loved on his own shoulders.

"Cassie told me you're refusing to go to the funeral on Tuesday. I think you should go. Jimmy wasn't thinking straight Luke. He was desperate. I don't remember much about being in that hallway, but I know Jimmy wouldn't have intentionally hurt me or anyone else if he had been thinking straight. And deep down I think you know that too."

At that particular moment, Lucas would have jumped through a flaming hoop if Keith had asked him to. He was just happy to be sitting at his bedside instead of his grave. Seeing him lying in that bed, wounded and in pain, yet still putting himself second, made Lucas realise more than ever before that Keith was his father, in every sense of the word that mattered.

"So I take it this whole father-son lecture means you're still serious about going ahead with the adoption, huh?"

Keith laughed. "Of course. I meant what I said Luke. I want you to be my son."

"Ok, cause I was thinking... I mean if it's not too weird or anything... that maybe I could call you Dad." Once again he was avoiding his new father's eye, strangely nervous despite knowing that Keith still wanted to go ahead with the adoption.

It was quite odd really, considering that only hours ago he had been barely clinging onto life, but Keith suddenly felt as though his life couldn't be more perfect. He and Karen were finally headed in the right direction, he had his daughter back and Lucas had agreed to officially be his son. Hearing him actually use the word Dad had been all Keith had ever wanted.

"I would love that. As long as you're comfortable with it."

"I am. You've always been my dad. You've always been there for me and you're the reason that I'm who I am today. If there's one thing that I've learned from this whole screwed up situation it's that I don't tell you that enough. But that doesn't mean that I don't appreciate you, and that I don't love you. Cause I do."

Keith had to admit he was taken aback. There was such a pure honesty in his son's eyes that he had to fight to stop his own from filling with tears. "I know that you do. But it means a lot to hear it."

...

**4.10pm**

**Karen's House**

She flopped down onto the sofa carelessly as she held the phone to her ear. It would be just after 1pm in Vegas. Normally she wouldn't call at this hour, but she had been given strict instructions to call as soon as she got a chance, no matter the time. She smiled when a familiar male voice answered with a groggy 'hello'.

"Hi, this is Judy from the Las Vegas Crime Lab. I'm trying to reach Sara Sidle."

"Nice try, kiddo."

She laughed, already knowing he would never fall for it. "You know, one of these days it will actually be the lab calling when you pick up the wrong phone. You guys really need to work out a system. At least set different ringtones. Unless of course you want them to find out that you're dating your employee."

"Do I take it from the fact that you're still a wise ass that everything over there is ok?"

"Everything is fine Uncle Gil. My dad's awake, he's gonna be ok." Saying the words had somehow made it feel all the more real and she suddenly found herself getting emotional.

"That's great Cass. Have you been able to see him? Actually, let me rephrase that, have they been able to drag you away from him long enough to sleep?"

"Sleep is for the weak."

It was his turn to laugh. "You've been spending too much time with Sara. You wanna talk to her? She just got back."

Cassie liked to think of her Uncle and his girlfriend as her Las Vegas parents. Had it not been for their influence, her time in Vegas would have been a lot different, and not in a positive way. Then again, were it not for her influence, her Uncle might never have gotten together with Sara in the first place, so she figured she had more than paid him back. She'd gotten herself into more than her fair share of trouble in her first couple of years living with her Grandmother. It had been her way of rebelling against the woman for taking her away from her father. It was only when her Uncle Gil intervened and started taking her to spend time at the Crime Lab that she began to snap out of it.

"Sure, put her on. Talk to you later, Uncle Gil. I miss you."

"You too kiddo."

There was a brief pause as the phone changed hands at the other end and then Sara's voice floated down the line.

"Hey Cass, how is everything?"

"Well my dad woke up. The doctors said he's going to be fine. It's just hard to believe that Jimmy did this, you know? And that he's gone." She had always found it easy to talk to Sara. They were very similar in nature, both defensive and sarcastic with tough exteriors.

"I know. It's gonna take some time but things will get better. And you know we're always on the other end of the phone. Any time. It's not like I ever sleep anyway."

She chuckled. That was definitely true. She never thought she'd meet a worse insomniac than her, until she met Sara. "I know. And I really appreciate everything you guys have done for me. Thanks. I'll call again soon. Tell everyone at the lab I said hi."

"Will do. And hey, no slacking on the forensics journals now that you're home. You're a born CSI but college is tough. It's better to get a head start."

She said her goodbyes and hung up the phone. It was certainly true that she had a natural talent when it came to forensics, and she loved it. Forensics was all about sticking to the evidence and being objective. There was little room for emotion or bias. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the mess that she had come home to.

A knock at the door interrupted her train of thought, which she reasoned wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Right now it was important to focus on the positive details. She was home for good and her father was going to make a full recovery. The rest she'd deal with later.

But as she swung open the door, it became abundantly clear that 'dealing with it later' was not going to be possible. Standing before her, wearing an expression that could only be described as a combination of trepidation, shame and heartbreaking agony, was the one person who she knew had been hurt more by the unthinkable tragedy than any of them. Sadness washed over her when she realised that the look he wore was born solely from fear of how she would react to his presence.

Without another second's hesitation, she stepped forward and threw her arms around him. "It's good to see you Mouth."

Her words seemed to ease some of the tension he was feeling and he relaxed, returning her embrace. After a moment she stepped back, ushering him inside and closing the door.

"So how are you?" He asked tentatively, the tension seeming to return threefold.

"Yeah I'm ok. It's been a rough couple of days but it's good to be home." She paused as she took a seat on the sofa, knowing that wasn't what he had really come to ask. "My Dad is going to be fine, Mouth."

He let out a relieved sigh and dropped his gaze to the floor, smiling sadly. "That's great Cass. Really great."

"Yeah it is. So you can quit feeling guilty for feeling sad about Jimmy." She smiled when he looked up, clearly shocked that she'd picked up on his thoughts so quickly. "I miss him too, you know. I'm not mad at him, or you. And neither is my dad, so there's no reason to torture yourself. This wasn't your fault."

"Yeah that's what Haley said too."

"She's right. No-one blames you for this Mouth. Jimmy wouldn't want you blaming yourself. And no-one expects you not to miss him."

"Even Lucas?" As though finally accepting that she wasn't mad at him, he allowed himself to relax and sat beside her on the sofa.

"Lucas will come around eventually. He may not show it but he's blaming himself just like you are. My dad was planning to talk to him about it this afternoon. And we'll _both_ be at the funeral on Tuesday." Sensing that a change of subject was needed, she opted to try and lighten the mood slightly. "So hey I've been gone for a long time, what's say I make us some tea and you fill me in on the last four years huh?" Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed his hand and hauled him up off the couch, pushing him playfully toward the kitchen.

...

**5.30pm**

**Tree Hill Memorial Hospital – Room 210**

When she reached the hospital doorway, Karen paused, her eyes falling on the figure of her sleeping fiancé. Her gaze moved away from his face, almost mesmerised by the steady rise and fall of his chest as he took each breath. It was a basic human function that they all took for granted on a daily basis; but today was different. Today Karen found herself thanking whatever God may be for each and every breath of air that filled Keith's lungs. And looking at him now, so calm and peaceful, she felt the mask that she had worked for the last 24 hours to perfect, finally begin to slip.

Before her emotions could get the better of her, she shook herself out of her reverie and entered the room, careful not to make a sound as she closed the door behind her. She approached the bed and, unable to resist, leaned over to place a gentle kiss on his lips. What she hadn't counted on was him responding. Without opening his eyes, he reached up and cupped her cheek, pulling her closer. His reaction was her final undoing. All of the emotion, all of the heartache, sadness and gut-wrenching terror that had been locked inside came pouring out in a flood of tears that she feared may never stop.

After a moment she pulled away, resting her forehead against his as he finally opened his eyes.

"Excuse me, I have a fiancée" he joked.

She laughed, appreciating his attempt to lighten the mood, but too emotional to form a witty retort. "Sorry I didn't mean to wake you."

"Oh, I'm not complaining. In fact I think you should wake me just like that every day from now on." With their faces only inches apart, Keith was able to see the unbearable agony that hid behind those dark browns orbs that he loved so much, and the pain of knowing how much his family had suffered in the last 24 hours was a thousand times worse than the gunshot wound in his shoulder. "It's going to be ok Karen. I'm not going anywhere."

Reluctantly, she nodded and sat up, her tears finally beginning to subside. Not wanting to completely lose contact with him just yet, she locked their hands together tightly.

"Has the doctor been in today?"

He nodded. "He said the wound is healing well. The surgery was a success, they removed the bullet and from what they can see there's no lasting nerve damage. With some gentle rehab exercises it should be good as new in a few weeks. How was your day?"

For a split second she considered telling him about her strange encounter with Dan a few hours before. Ordinarily she wouldn't have dreamt of keeping something like that from him, especially when it concerned his daughter. It had struck Karen as odd that Dan would ask about Cassie at all, but his parting words were what had unsettled her the most. 'It'd be a real shame if anything were to ruin it', he had said, referring to their now complete family. But he'd said it specifically in relation to Cassie.

Of course, he had probably said it hoping that she would tell Keith. Dan knew his brother would worry if he thought for a second that he'd been anywhere near his daughter. And with him stuck in hospital, unable to do anything about it, it was the perfect opportunity to drive him crazy. If she told him, Dan would win. And right now she knew that Cassie wouldn't want her father worrying about her when he needed to focus on his recovery.

"It was fine. I stopped by your place and picked up some stuff." She gestured to the bag she had set down on the bedside chair. "I took a few things over to my place too for when you get out of here."

"Did you manage to get much sleep?"

"A little." She really wasn't sure why she bothered lying to him; she knew he'd see through it in a second.

"That means none."

"You know it's funny, for 17 years I slept in that bed alone but now, even though you've only been back a little over a month, I can't sleep without you."

"Then sleep here." He shifted carefully on the bed, making room for her at his uninjured side.

"It's fine really..."

He cut her off immediately. "Karen honey, you're exhausted, you need to sleep. I promise you're not going to hurt me. If anything it'll make me feel better to have you here."

She would have protested further, but the mention of sleep had reminded her of just how tired she really was. And there was nowhere she'd rather be at that moment than in her fiancé's arms. Giving in, she kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the bed, feeling every ounce of tension from the last two days drain from her body the second she felt his arm wrap around her.

"Keith?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

He smiled at her words, his own eyelids growing heavier as the effects of the painkillers began to take their toll once more. "I love you too."

After a few moments, he heard her breathing even out as exhaustion finally won the battle and once he was sure she was asleep he closed his eyes and allowed himself to follow.


	3. The Search for Something More

**Disclaimer: See chapter 2.**

**Once again a huge thank you to those that reviewed and also to those that have added me or the story to their favourites. Much appreciated. I hope you enjoy the next chapter! **

**Also, there may be a short delay before the next Chapter. I'm going to Las Vegas for a week from Sunday with the family and won't have time or access to a computer. I'll try to upload a new chapter when I get home.**

**...**

**Chapter 3 – The Search for Something More**

**Thursday 26 January 2006**

**10.15am EST**

**Karen's House**

She groaned inwardly as she sat cross-legged on the floor of a room that wasn't even hers, surrounded by boxes and bags that were overflowing with clothes, CD's, DVD's and other random belongings. Where was she even supposed to start?

That was how Karen found her.

She looked up pitifully as the woman entered the room, blowing a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. "Suddenly I'm not so sure I care for Fed Ex all that much."

Karen simply laughed and joined Cassie on the floor of her son's room. "And what, you're hoping that if you sit and stare down the boxes long enough they'll unpack themselves?"

"Something like that," Cassie huffed. "Did you see Dad this morning? I wanted to go by the hospital but..." She held out her hands, gesturing at the chaos that surrounded them.

"I saw him, he's fine. He said to tell you that since you spent all day at the hospital yesterday, and the day before that, you're absolutely not allowed to enter the building until we pick him up this afternoon. I have strict orders to keep you occupied until then."

"We're picking him up today?" Cassie's mood instantly perked up at the news.

"Yeah, the doctors seem to think he's ready to come home, though I have a feeling he played a rather big part in convincing them of that. He's never cared much for hospitals, and we've certainly spent our fair share of time in them the last few years. So you planning on unpacking at any point today or is Lucas going to be living with your boxes forever?"

"Do you think he would mind? They're barely noticeable." She sighed dramatically when Karen raised an eyebrow. "Ok fine, but exactly how do you expect me to ship all of this crap to Dad's house minus a car?"

"What if I told you, you didn't have to take them to your father's house at all?" At Cassie's confused frown, Karen chuckled and stood, pulling her step-daughter to her feet. "Follow me."

Cassie did as asked without question, hanging back slightly as Karen led the way out of Lucas's room and down the hallway to a door way that she recognised as the one leading to the attic room. She was about to comment that the attic may very well store her things but wouldn't store her, but before she could utter a word Karen pulled open the door and ushered her up the steps.

As she climbed the last few steps up into the room she couldn't get over how different it looked. The walls had been boarded over and painted, the floor had been sanded and varnished, the window frames and the railings that led down the stairway were all a bright, fresh, white colour, and the clutter that used to fill the space had been removed, giving way to what was actually quite a spacious room. It needed some work and personalisation, but Cassie fell in love with it there and then.

"When did you have time to do this?"

Karen climbed the last few steps and stood beside the teenager. "Actually I didn't. Your father started working on this room right after we got together. We knew we didn't want to waste any more time being apart and I guess he wanted you to have a room of your own when you came to visit. So he started fixing this place up. He worked on it all last week but before he got a chance to finish it and move in himself... well, everything kinda happened. I'd already ordered a bed and a dresser and weirdly I got a call yesterday while you were at the hospital to say they had arrived. I had Lucas and Nathan put everything together yesterday."

"Wow. This is amazing. I can't believe after all this time you and Dad have finally gotten your act together. Did you know that Lucas and I used to write to Santa every year asking for him to make you two get married?"

"Really?" Karen laughed, completely taken aback by the revelation.

"Yeah. We made a pact when we were like four or something. We had this idea that Santa would be more likely to grant our wish if we both wished it, so we swore that every year until you guys got married, we would write to him. Then when we were about nine, I got really mad at him because I found his letter and he'd asked for a new bike instead. I didn't speak to him for days."

"I can't believe you guys did that."

"Yeah, pretty crazy huh? I guess in our childish minds we figured that if the two of you got married Lucas would finally have the Dad he'd always wanted and I would..." She trailed off, embarrassed by how much she'd almost revealed.

"You'd finally have the Mom you always wanted?" Karen finished for her. "You know, even when your father and I weren't together, I always thought of you like a daughter, just like Keith thought of Lucas as a son. In our own strange little way, we were a family, just like we are now." After a pause she quickly switched the emotional mood to one of humor. "Which means, daughter dearest, that I get the privilege of kicking your ass if you don't get it into gear and unpack. So move it!"

"Ugh! I knew there had to be a downside to this whole family thing!" Cassie laughed, bouncing down the stairs.

...

**10.55am EST**

**Mayor's Office**

"Are you telling me that there is nothing I can do about this?" Dan fumed, his patience wearing dangerously thin. "I'm the kid's biological father for God's sake; surely I have some kind of legal right to oppose the adoption."

Brian Felton watched his client pace furiously before him with a small amount of amusement. Since graduating from Law School twenty years ago, he had seen his fair share of family disputes, particularly in the case of adoption. But never in his career had he come across a case where the biological father wanted to dispute the adoption for no other reason than to piss off his brother.

"Technically yes since you're on the birth certificate. But the kid is almost 18, which means his opinion will hold a good amount of weight with a judge and if they can prove that you abandoned him, or failed to support him financially for a decent amount of time, your opinion to put it bluntly won't mean squat."

"Failed to support him financially? Are you forgetting that he lived with me for almost two months just last year?"

Brian laughed. "I said a _decent _amount of time. Besides it's probably best not to mention that in court since you basically blackmailed your son into living with you. Face it Dan, this is a battle you won't win. If you want to get one over on your brother, you're gonna have to find another way to do it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some cases to deal with that I actually stand a chance of winning."

Dan barely noticed the man leaving as he sat down heavily in his oversized leather chair. Up until now, he had been sure that nothing could have angered him more than the knowledge that his brother had survived the gunshot that should have killed him. The silver lining to that cloud of course was that Keith apparently had no recollection of what had really happened which meant Dan wouldn't have to deal with the added annoyance of convincing the police that his brother was mistaken. But it didn't change the fact that his revenge was still incomplete.

The image of his niece's smug expression as she had revealed her father's intentions was like pouring gasoline on an already roaring fire. But once the flames died down, he was reminded of the significance of her return to Tree Hill, and the beautifully perfect opportunity it gave him to teach them all, especially his brother, a valuable lesson. As soon as he'd caught sight of her at the River Court two nights ago he'd known that she would factor into his plans somewhere. But now she would play an even bigger part, maybe the biggest part of all. If Keith wanted to bring Lucas into this, then Cassie was fair game. And that was just fine with him.

Flipping open his cell, he couldn't help the grin that crossed his face as he made a call that would put the wheels of his plan into motion.

...

**11.50am EST**

**Tree Hill Memorial Hospital**

_He wandered aimlessly through the empty corridors, stepping over the long forgotten bags and books that lay scattered across the marble floor. Somewhere in his mind he registered that he was inside the high school, and that the scene should be familiar to him. Yet try as he might he couldn't figure out why._

"_Why don't you just hand me that gun, Jimmy and we can just follow them out of here." _

_Wait a second. He knew he hadn't spoken and yet that voice had sounded suspiciously like his own. He cast an unsure glance behind him, as though making sure that the exit was still within reach, then continued on, morbid curiosity urging him to check out the situation._

"_I can't."_

_Another voice, this one also familiar, but younger, and much more fearful. Though he could not yet see the face that the voice belonged to, he felt his heart fill with sadness, though he couldn't explain why. He continued on, eventually coming to the end of a hallway. Pausing by the wall, he peered around the corner and sucked in a breath as his eyes fell upon an image that he recognised well. A young boy, who he knew to be Jimmy Edwards, stood clutching a frighteningly real handgun and aiming it directly at the chest of the older and much more familiar man that stood before him. _

"_Well I'm not gonna leave you here son. I'm not gonna do that and I'll tell you why, because I've been there... I've bought the gun, and I've planned on using it ok, I've been there. And I want to tell you something, it gets better."_

_As he listened to the other version of himself speaking, he could have sworn that for a fraction of a second he saw a glimpse of hope in the teenager's eyes, but no sooner had it come, it was gone._

"_It can't, not this."_

"_It does Jimmy. That pain in your stomach, that pain in your heart... it goes away. That voice in your head, that's saying there's no way out, it's wrong Jimmy. Would you please, please just believe me it gets better."_

_In a flash, any progress he had thought this version of him was making dissolved as Jimmy began to panic, his pain and frustration getting the better of him._

"_It won't! Not after this. I can't take this back, I can't erase this! She's gonna die," he sobbed, gesturing with the gun to where Keith now remembered that Lucas had stood, holding a bleeding and unconscious Peyton in his arms._

"_You don't know that."_

"_I just, I wanted... I wanted them to leave me alone. I wanted them to like me."_

_Keith watched as the crying boy dropped to his knees, and the image of himself seemed to desperately search for the words that would make him feel better. "I understand son, it's what we all want. That's all any of us wants."_

_He breathing quickened and he became increasingly concerned when Jimmy's previously agonised expression seemed to clear, his eyes becoming vacant as he stared around the room, as though in some kind of trance. His eyes flickered from Jimmy, to the image of himself and back again. He wanted to shout; to scream to himself that he needed to do something, but somehow he knew it was no use._

"_I'm not here." Jimmy mumbled blankly. "I'm not here."_

"_Jimmy please," his image begged, stepping forward without thinking and freezing when the gun was thrust toward him. "It's gonna be ok son. It's gonna be ok."_

"_But it hurts!" Jimmy cried. "It hurts... It alway's hurts!"_

"_I know... Please." _

_Even as he pleaded with the boy one final time, somewhere deep inside he knew he'd already lost the battle. _

The images faded away as consciousness began to tug at him, pulling him out of the dream, but not before he heard the sound of his own voice screaming no, and a lone gunshot ringing through the air.

His eyes flew open and he shot bolt upright in the hospital bed, regretting the movement immediately when a piercing pain shot through his chest and into his shoulder. Clutching the wound, he squeezed his eyes shut and eased himself back against the softness of the pillows.

It was the same dream he'd had the night before. And just like the night before, he was left with the feeling that there was something not quite right about the images he'd seen; almost as though the dream wasn't finished.

Something buried deep within his unconscious mind nagged at him, but just like the previous night, the more he tried to cling on to sleep and complete the series of images, the harder he felt himself being pulled back into the land of the living. All knew was that whatever detail was missing from the dream, it was an important one.

Before he could give it anymore thought, his doctor bustled into the room, looking decidedly less than impressed.

"Mr Scott, I have a release form for you to sign, although I'm hoping you're going to tell me you've reconsidered."

He shook his head, preparing himself for the battle he knew was coming. "I appreciate the concern Doc, but I haven't changed my mind."

"I understand that you'd rather be at home with your family, Mr Scott. There are very few people in this hospital that wouldn't. But you had major surgery less than 72 hours ago, you're still recovering, and although I'm happy with the rate at which your wound is healing, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't try to convince you to stay at least another day or so."

Keith took the form and pen from the doctor's hand, scribbling his signature on the paper without even bothering to read it. He handed it back with a satisfied smile.

Doctor Stephenson sighed in defeat. "Very well. I assume I don't need to remind you how important it is that you take it extremely easy for the next week and at least moderately easy for a few weeks after that. That means no strenuous exercise of _any_ kind. Going for a short walk and moving around the house should be fine but you need to rest whenever you feel tired. If you experience any extreme pain or loss of feeling in your shoulder or arm, you should have someone bring you back in immediately. The same can be said if you suffer from a fever, vomiting or dizziness. Do I make myself clear?"

Keith's smile widened at her motherly tone. As much as he hated hospitals, he had to admit he had grown to like Doctor Stephenson. At a guess he'd say she was in her early fifties, no more than five foot two in height and probably about eight stone wet through. Anyone meeting her for the first time would assume that her personality would very much reflect her physical appearance. But in her case appearances were definitely deceiving. She was anything but a soft touch.

"Crystal. Trust me doc I'll probably be on a much more strict recovery programme at home than I am here. I'll be lucky if they let me out of bed or off the couch for a month."

She laughed at that. "Oh I have no doubt of it. I've met your daughter and your fiancée. That's the only reason I'm allowing you to leave."

...

**2.30pm EST**

**Karen's Cafe **

If it hadn't been for the fact that she heard the sound a thousand times a day, the ringing of the bell above the door to the Cafe might have prompted Haley to look up from the table she was cleaning. As it turned out the decision not to bother looking up at the person who'd entered was one that she would come to regret.

"Whatcha doing?"

The voice was close enough to her ear, that she could feel the heat of its owner's breath on her neck. Letting out a loud yell, she almost leapt right out of her skin, but as she spun around and met a pair of laughing blue eyes, her look of fright instantly transformed into one of genuine happiness, with a tiny little bit of relief thrown in.

"Aaah!" she squealed in excitement, throwing her arms around the visitor. "I was beginning to wonder when you would finally come and see me."

Cassie returned the embrace, laughing uncontrollably at Haley's expression a moment before. "Dude you should have seen your face!"

Haley swatted at her with the cloth in her hand. "You scared the hell out of me!"

"That was kinda the intention."

Shooting the other girl a glare, Haley turned back to the table she'd been cleaning before being so rudely interrupted, giving it one last wipe over. Technically she was still on the clock but at 2.30 in the afternoon, the Cafe was like a scene from Dawn of the Dead, deserted. The lunch rush had left half an hour ago and the afternoon rush probably wouldn't be happening, what with the high school being closed, so she reasoned she'd have time for a quick catch up with one of her oldest and very best friends. She flopped down at the freshly cleaned table and Cassie quickly followed her lead, having finally recovered from her fit of giggles at Haley's expense.

"So how's Keith?"

"Yeah he's doing really well. He looked so much better yesterday when I saw him. Karen said they're letting him come home today."

"Home huh? Does that mean you're back for good?"

"It most certainly does my friend!" Cassie answered through a grin. "My stuff arrived this morning courtesy of a _very _expensive Fed Ex delivery paid for by Grandmother dearest. I think she's feeling guilty for being the reason that I wasn't here when Dad was shot. Speaking of, how are you doing? Lucas told me about you and Nathan and Mouth being in the tutor centre with Jimmy."

"Yeah I'm ok I guess. Not an experience I want to relive anytime soon that's for sure. It was hard on everyone, even Dan believe it or not, but then I guess anyone would react the same to finding their brother lying there like that."

"Wait, what?"

Haley eyed her friend quizzically, slightly baffled at her interruption. "Yeah didn't Lucas tell you? Dan was the one who found Keith. When the police came to get us and led us out through the hallway we saw him. He was just standing there staring as the paramedics lifted Keith onto the stretcher. I don't think I've ever seen anyone looking so pale. He was white as a sheet." As she spoke, she couldn't help but notice that her friend seemed to drift off into her own thoughts and she immediately cursed herself for opening her mouth. She could only imagine how hard it must be for Cassie to hear about the moment she almost lost her father. "How about I shut my big mouth and get us some hot chocolate? I would say it's called for, wouldn't you?"

...

**3.10pm EST**

**River Dock**

The cardboard cup warmed her hands as she held it tightly. Without thinking, she took a sip, regretting it when the steaming hot liquid burned her tongue painfully. She glanced down at the drink, once again feeling an odd pang of guilt when her gaze fell upon the logo. If someone had asked, she wouldn't have been able to explain the reason why she'd purposely avoided the Cafe where she usually purchased her coffee. Part of her thought maybe she wanted to avoid running into a certain brooding blonde who would likely be there, which would certainly explain why she had chosen to do her own brooding at the dock near the river, rather than at the Cafe or the River Court like she normally would.

It was ironic really that the very reason that she was avoiding him, was that she was worrying about the possible reasons for him avoiding her.

It had now been exactly 71 hours and 40 minutes since she had last seen him. No visit, no phone call, not even a text message to say he was alright. The only reason that she knew Keith had even pulled through was because Haley had called and updated her. And although she loathed herself for even thinking it she couldn't help but resent him a little for that.

She felt the wooden bench shift under someone else's weight and looked up from her coffee, mentally cursing when she met the eyes of the very last person she wanted to see at that moment. Well... second last maybe, at least it wasn't a vindictive red head whose sole purpose on earth seemed to be making her life hell.

"Hello Brooke."

"Mr Scott," she greeted politely, not bothering to fake a friendly smile.

"What're you doing out here all by yourself? I'd have thought you'd be going to the hospital with Lucas and Karen to pick up my brother."

"Keith's being released?" She could've kicked herself for allowing her surprise to show in front of the man.

"You didn't know."

It wasn't a question. The way he spoke the words made her hate him. The look on his face as he spoke made her despise him. His expression was one of sheer satisfaction and it was clear he knew he'd gotten under her skin.

"I suppose you can't blame him for not wanting to be stuck in a hospital bed now that his daughter is back in town."

Brooke gritted her teeth and focused all her energy on not emptying her coffee over the man's head. Had it not been for the crowds of people milling past them, she might have seriously considered it. But aside from that, she had to admit the Mayor of Tree Hill gave her the creeps.

"Well, I better be going."

She avoided his obviously amused gaze, choosing instead to stare out at the River as he stood from the bench, his mission quite clearly accomplished.

He was about to leave when he stopped and turned back toward her. "I'm sorry how rude of me, would you like a ride home?"

A polite 'no thank you' was all she could muster. She bit back a scathing comment as she watched him walk away. A cold loneliness crept into her heart and her eyes stung from tears that she stubbornly refused to shed. How could he not tell her that Keith was coming home? Or that Keith's daughter had returned from Las Vegas? She only knew that much because he had mentioned her absently when Keith had left town after his failed wedding to Jules and she had quizzed him about it.

However, as the rush of emotion gradually wore off, realisation suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks.

The blonde girl at the hospital... of course. No wonder she had looked so familiar.

In any other circumstance, Brooke might have felt a sense of relief at the knowledge that her boyfriend was not cheating on her. And with hindsight it did seem like a ridiculous assumption to have made, especially when Lucas had so much family stuff going on. But the very fact that she had automatically jumped to that conclusion only served as a reminder of the insecurities she still harboured about his feelings for her. He had told her he loved her several times since they had gotten back together. But words were easy. Actions were what really counted. And surely the best way to show your love for someone was to let them all the way in.

What hurt even more was that the one person she would have normally gone to when she felt like this, was the last person that she felt like she could talk to about it. As irrational as it was she knew it would break her heart if she were to for some reason find that Peyton already knew what she had only just been told.

She had stood and watched through silent tears as her boyfriend had carried her best friend out of the high school a few days ago. And she had hated herself the moment she realised that for a split second she felt jealous of her friend. It seemed to her that Lucas was constantly saving everyone but her. The thought tore at her painfully.

...

**4.05pm EST**

**Deb's House**

Nathan lugged the last suitcase down the stairs, placing it by the door with the other two. He looked over at his mother, who was busying herself pouring them each a glass of lemonade. Since she had returned to Tree Hill after finding out about the shooting, she had been constantly on edge, as though she felt uncomfortable and out of place in her own home.

"That's the last of it. I still don't get why you can't stay a few more days."

"I only came back to check on you and see how Keith and Karen were doing, Nathan. I wanted to make sure you were all ok, but I can't stay here. This isn't my home anymore."

He knew she hadn't meant the words in a hurtful way, but they hurt all the same. This was the house that he had grown up in. Despite the last couple of years, there had been a time when they had been happy; when they had been a family. Or so he had thought. But his mother's revelation at the motel all those weeks ago had shattered that illusion like a rock through glass. _He_ had been happy. His father had probably even been happy, if he was at all capable of that emotion. But his mother had never been happy, and now that he saw through the facade she had been hiding behind for most of his life, he knew he couldn't ask her to stay.

He nodded sadly. "I know. I guess I just... miss you."

"I miss you too, honey. But I'm only a few hours away, and you and Haley are always welcome to visit." She paused briefly before pulling an envelope out of her purse and holding it out to him. "I have something for you."

"What is it?"

"The house. It's yours now."

To say he was stunned would have been an understatement. It wasn't as if he had expected his mother to abandon him and leave him with nothing. Even on her worst day, she had always made sure that he was safe and taken care of. But to hand him a house that was probably worth over half a million dollars was beyond anything he had ever imagined. "I don't understand. How..."

"It's what I got from the divorce settlement. It was finalised a few weeks ago so the house was mine to do with as I pleased."

"But won't you need the money from the sale to help you start over?"

She shook her head and braced herself to reveal yet another of her well kept secrets, hoping that this one would be received better than the last. "There's something else that I haven't told you. When my father died he left me a lot of money. Your father always knew that but what he didn't know was exactly how much there was. I put a chunk of the money into a bank account and secretly invested the rest, hoping that someday I'd find the courage to leave your father and start over somewhere else, just you and me. Of course that day never came so until now the money has just been sitting there. A year ago now I found out that my investment had paid off and I ended up getting back three times what I put in. Money is not something you or I ever have to worry about Nathan."

For several moments Nathan was too astounded to even formulate a decent response. It occurred to him somewhere in the depths of his mind that he probably should be angry at his mother for keeping such a huge secret for all these years. But considering that the last time he saw her she had confessed to trying to murder his father, it was safe to say that the secrets could not possibly get any worse.

"I... uh, I guess I don't understand. Why wait until now to tell me this?" His words carried no accusation or judgement; he simply couldn't fathom how a person could carry the burden of a secret like this for so many years.

"Because until now your father has always had a hold on you. He's always been in control and I knew if I told you and it got back to him, he'd use you to get his hands on the money. You're emancipated now and you're almost eighteen. You're old enough to be responsible for your share."

"My... my share?"

"Of course. The money will be shared equally between you and me."

Although he wasn't sure he could take any more surprises, he found himself asking the most important question. "How much is there?"

"Seven million dollars for each of us."

With one simple sentence, Nathan felt every last breath of air leave his body. His normally sturdy and unshakable legs turned to quivering jelly and he felt himself leaning against the kitchen counter for support. Up until he emancipated himself, he had never really given much thought to where his family's money came from. It had always just been readily available and he had been only too willing to take advantage of that. But after the emancipation and his marriage to Haley, things had changed drastically and for the first time in his life, he had found himself struggling to make ends meet. And it the early days, it had put a lot of pressure on his marriage. Suddenly going from that to knowing that he would never have to worry about money again was a lot to process.

"Honey?" Deb took her son's silence as a bad sign. She had wrestled with the idea of telling him about the money since she had told him the truth about the dealership fire. "I understand if you're mad at me..."

"Mad at you?" he interrupted, suddenly finding his voice again. "You tell me that you're giving me seven million dollars and you're expecting me to be _mad_ at you?"

"Well honestly I wasn't sure how you'd feel about me having more secrets."

"Don't get me wrong Mom I'm not exactly thrilled that you kept this to yourself for so long. But I can also understand why you did it." Feeling the strength return to his legs, he finally released his vice-like grip on the counter and approached his mother. "You're right, if Dan had found out about this, he would've found some way to control us. He can't do that now. It feels good to know that we're both going to be ok. But I have to admit it feels even better to know than Dan can't do anything about it."

Deb laughed, finally relaxing as the burden of secrets she had been carrying for so long was finally lifted. "I won't argue with you there. And honestly, now with the weight of telling you off my shoulders, I feel about ten stone lighter."

...

**5.45pm EST**

**Keith and Karen's House**

"Man you're heavy. Did you put on weight?" Lucas mocked as he helped his father out of the car.

"Watch it, smart ass." Keith warned him playfully.

Karen chuckled at the pair and held open the door to the kitchen, watching her fiancé like a hawk for any sign that he needed to be taken back to the hospital. "You go on through and get yourself settled on the couch. Lucas, get him some pillows and make sure he's comfortable would you?"

When Lucas left the room Keith wrapped his arms around Karen, who was busying herself making a pot of tea. "_He _is perfectly fine and capable of getting his own pillows." He reassured gently. "But _he_ loves you for worrying." When she turned to look up at him, he kissed the tip of her nose lovingly and repeated the words for probably the millionth time since they'd left the hospital. "I'm fine."

He left her to prepare the drinks and moved slowly through to the living room, where Lucas was throwing several pillows and a blanket onto an already perfectly padded couch. Choosing to say nothing, he eased himself into a sitting position as Lucas flopped lazily into the arm chair opposite, with an expression that clearly said there was something he thought he should tell him, but wasn't quite sure.

"Spit it out Luke, what's up?"

Lucas sighed, knowing that if he said nothing, Keith would likely kill him, but that if he said something, Cassie would definitely kill him. "There's something I think maybe you should know."

Keith nodded silently, urging him to say whatever it was that was on his mind.

"The night Cass got back she kind of had a run in with Dan."

"She what?" The thought of his daughter coming into contact with his brother concerned Keith. The man had a habit of getting to people at the best of times, but there was also the small matter of the dealership fire, that Dan was convinced Keith had started. He'd told his daughter about the fire when he'd gone to visit her that summer, but had conveniently left out the part about it being intentional and Dan blaming him. He would feel a lot better if Cassie stayed as far away from Dan Scott as was humanly possible.

"It didn't seem like anything major. I went to the River Court for some air and Cassie was there with Dan. She said that he'd run in to her and that it was nothing, but when I asked what was going on he made some kind of remark about her having a smart mouth which, knowing Cassie, means she obviously had a go at him. She was pretty mad at him about the whole Jules thing."

"Great." Keith muttered with a sigh.

"Look I don't think it's anything to worry about right now, but I thought I should tell you. I know better than anyone how easily he gets under your skin. I also know what Cassie is like when someone pisses her off."

"What going on?" Karen placed a tray filled with cups, biscuits and a steaming pot of tea on the coffee table as she took a seat beside Keith.

"Apparently Cass had a bit of a run in with Danny the other night." At Karen's worried look, Keith explained what Lucas had just told him.

The confusion that Karen had felt when Dan had mentioned Cassie the previous day was suddenly gone, replaced instead by a mixture of guilt for keeping it from Keith and irritation with herself for not realising that something must've happened. "Um, I wasn't sure whether to tell you this but Dan came by your house yesterday while I was packing up some of your things." She held up a reassuring hand at Keith's instantly worried expression, urging him to hear her out. "Nothing happened, but he did ask me how Cassie was doing. He said he'd heard she was back in town. When I asked how, he didn't say anything about seeing her, just that it's a small town and word gets around." She filled them in on the conversation, reluctantly including Dan's comment about anything ruining their family.

"Son of a bitch."

Keith's words came out as barely a whisper but both Karen and Lucas heard them. There was no denying that all three of them were concerned by Dan's behaviour. Over the years they had all grown accustomed to his innate ability to mess with people's lives. But he had his own issues with each of them. What possible reason could he have for turning his attention to Cassie?

Keith knew the answer of course. His brother was still convinced that he had started the fire at the dealership. Not only that, but from what Lucas had said, he was also now aware of Keith's plans to adopt Lucas. Targeting Cassie would be the best form of revenge.

The one fact that they were all encouraged by was that Dan had always used mind games as a way of getting to people. Cassie was incredibly smart. A lot smarter than the average teenager. Keith had had numerous conversations with her Uncle Gil regarding her school work and the time she was spending at the lab. But on top of that, his daughter was tough. And that was a combination that would be extremely useful when dealing with Dan. He had no doubt that if she had to, Cassie could easily give Dan Scott a run for his money. Still the thought of his brother having anything to do with his daughter made Keith feel sick with fear, not to mention seething with anger.

"Ok look guys I know that Dan has always just been par for the course around here but it's different now. He thinks I tried to kill him. Somehow I don't think the fact that I was shot is going to miraculously change how he feels about that. So I need you to promise me that you'll tell me if he's hassling any of you. You guys know what he's like, so I know that you'll take me seriously. Cassie I'm not so sure about."

...

**7.00pm EST**

**Karen's Cafe**

Since it was Haley's turn to close up, Cassie had opted to stay and give her friend a hand, which she could tell Haley had been grateful for. She hadn't said in so many words, but Cassie got the feeling that Haley was slightly nervous about the idea of being alone so soon after the shooting.

As Haley went out to the stock room and back of the cafe to lock up, Cassie began stacking the chairs onto the tables. The pair had had a fun afternoon, something they both needed. Seeing as school had been cancelled for the next week and a half, there had been no end of school rush, so Haley had managed to rope Cassie into helping her clean the place up, including doing the mound of dishes. It had been worthwhile when they had rewarded themselves with an Ice Cream sundae and a second round of hot chocolate with marshmallows as they caught up on the last four years of each other's lives that had only previously been discussed by email.

Karen had called around 6.00pm to let her know that her father was home and that if the Cafe was quiet they could just go ahead and close early. She'd found it quite odd and asked if everything was ok but Karen had insisted everything was fine and had jokingly told her to have fun cleaning up. Cassie wondered if she'd believe her when she told her that it had actually turned out to be quite good fun.

She stacked the last of the tables and turned toward the door, intending to switch the sign to closed, but upon turning she was surprised to find her way blocked by a very unwanted visitor. Her surprise turned to irritation in no time at all and for the second time since she had returned to Tree Hill, she stared down her Uncle.

"You're in my way," she stated simply.

"I'm sorry" he replied sarcastically, and made no attempt to clear the path to the door.

"Can I help you with something?" Her tone oozed boredom. She'd had a relatively good day today and didn't want it ruined by this jackass.

"What? Can't an Uncle stop by to say hello to his favourite niece?"

"An Uncle can sure, _you_ can't. And I'm your only niece... by DNA anyway. What do you want Dan? You may have no family to go home to, but I do, so say whatever you came to say then kindly leave."

"There goes that smart mouth of yours again. You really should be careful with that. It can get you into all kinds of trouble."

Cassie wasn't stupid. She knew a thinly veiled threat when she heard one. Being away for the last four years, the only knowledge she had of her Uncle's behaviour was from what her father and Lucas had shared with her. She was well aware of his resentment towards her father for his role in Lucas and Karen's lives, and she knew how much pleasure he took in making every effort to make their lives as difficult as possible. Was this behaviour towards her just another way of doing that? She wasn't sure. Something in his eyes as he spoke made her uneasy, and she was suddenly reminded of Haley's words from earlier.

"What were you doing in the high school the other day?"

Before he could answer, Haley reappeared, stopping in her tracks when she saw Dan standing there. Never taking his eyes off Cassie, Dan simply smiled slightly, straightened up and opened the door.

"Tell my brother I said hello." And then he was gone.

"What was that about?"

Still mulling over the encounter, Cassie covered, not wanting this to get back to her father. "Who knows?" she answered, giving what she hoped came across as a nonchalant shrug. "It's Dan."

...

**7.30pm**

**Exterior Karen's Cafe**

The streets of Tree Hill were still as familiar as ever, despite the years Cassie had spent in Vegas. Living in Sin City had been a whole new experience and one of the things she'd found most difficult to adjust to was having to be a lot more safety conscious, especially at night.

But for a reason she couldn't quite fathom, for the first time in her life, she had the distinct feeling that she would have been safer wandering the streets of Vegas than she was in her home town. She had no doubt that her Uncle had intended his words to be interpreted as a threat. But had he actually _meant_ them as a threat? It wasn't unusual for Dan to play his mind games, and if there was one thing he loved it was knowing that people were afraid of him. But there had been something in his eyes earlier, something that told her that her Uncle may be slightly more unhinged than even she had first thought.

Ordinarily, she would have wasted no time talking to her father about something like this. But that was out of the question. It would only make him worry, and that was the last thing he needed while he was recovering.

Before she was able to give the latest incident any further consideration, a low purring sound, which she immediately recognised to belong to a car engine, interrupted her. Having spent the better part of the last four years around trained investigators, her instincts and intuition had been sharpened significantly. She knew that if she was able to hear the car, it meant it was close enough that it should have passed her by now.

She increased her pace slightly, and her heart sank when she heard the car do the same. This really was the last thing that she needed tonight. Annoyance began to replace uneasiness and after walking another block she finally gave in and turned to catch a glimpse of the mystery vehicle, hoping to also get a look at the driver. Her hopes were short lived when she noticed that the windows of the black SUV were tinted. Obviously having realised that they'd been spotted, the driver hit the gas and sped away.

Cassie was so preoccupied with the rapidly disappearing vehicle that she failed to notice the figure that was walking in her direction until she collided with him at full speed.

"Whoa, where's the fire?"

"Oh, jeez." She did her best to right herself before looking up into the surprised brown eyes of a guy that she thought looked to be around her age. "I'm so sorry."

"It's cool. No harm done. Are you ok?"

"Yeah, um..." She turned briefly toward the spot where she had last seen the car, relaxing when her eyes met only an empty street. "I'm... I'm fine."

He raised an eyebrow doubtfully and followed her gaze, scanning the street in the same way she had a moment before. "You sure about that? Cause if I had to guess I'd say you're in a hurry to get away from something. Either that or you really suck at walking."

Considering that this was her second collision since in a week, Cassie was inclined to agree with him. "Probably a little of both." She shook her head suddenly feeling foolish. "I thought someone was following me and I guess wasn't looking where I was going..."

"It's really not a problem. Girls are always throwing themselves at me. Although I have to say so far you're the clumsiest. I'm Marcus."

"Cassie," she muttered with a hint of impatience. If there was one thing she was not in the mood for right now, it was being hit on, but considering she had almost knocked the guy into next week, she didn't want to appear rude.

"I don't think I've seen you around before. Are you from Tree Hill?"

"Sort of. I've been away for a while. You probably know my brother Lucas Scott."

He frowned, obviously confused. "I didn't realise Lucas had a sister. So I guess that would make you another Dan Scott offspring then?"

"Not hardly. It's complicated. Keith is my dad but I've always considered Luke my brother." She found herself speaking without really thinking about what she was saying. The mere mention of her Uncle's name was enough to increase her irritation but it had also sent her already suspicious mind into overdrive. Was it simply coincidence that she had found herself being followed on the same night that Dan had appeared as if from nowhere in the Cafe? It was certainly a possibility but Cassie's intuition told her otherwise. She glanced around the empty streets; her trained eyes searching for any sign of the vehicle that she was now sure had been following her. But once again, she saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Ok, if that's your story. Look, no offence or anything but you seem pretty spooked. Do you want me to walk you home?"

"Thanks but I'll be fine. I was probably imagining things and even if I wasn't the guy is probably long gone by now."

"Actually I was more concerned about your walking ability... or should I say lack of."

His cocky attitude earned him an annoyed scowl. "I'm sure I can manage."

"Maybe so but what about the next poor guy you crash into. No offence or anything, but it was like colliding with a very short and yet very real truck. I don't think I want that on my conscience."

The insulting words would have normally provoked an onslaught of verbal abuse but when she turned back to him, ready to release her tirade, she was surprised to find that there was not a trace of malice or arrogance on his face. In her moment of panic, she had quite clearly mistaken his innocent humor for cockiness when it had in actual fact most likely been nothing more than an attempt to put her at ease. In that moment she was pretty sure that she couldn't have felt like more of a jerk if she tried.

Forcing herself to relax, she finally let out a laugh at his comment. "Good point. Ok well I guess if it's for the safety of the general public I can't really argue with you can I?"

He smiled and fell into step beside her as she continued on her previous route. For several moments, both of them were silent, but what struck Cassie as odd, was that it didn't feel awkward. This was a guy she had just met, someone she knew nothing about, and yet she was perfectly comfortable walking with him through the streets of her home town, saying absolutely nothing. That was of course until the absence of awkwardness had occurred to her and in some kind of twisted irony, suddenly made her feel terribly awkward.

"So do you mind if I ask why you thought someone was following you?"

Relieved for the chance to fill the silence that had now been ruined by her overactive imagination, Cassie was only too willing to answer. "There was a car, a Denali I think... when I came out of the cafe and started along the street I heard the engine behind me. I figured it would just pass by but it didn't and when I sped up, the Denali did too. Then all of a sudden it sped off around the corner. Right about the time I ran into you... literally." She smiled apologetically.

"Ok, all pretty good indicators I guess. At the risk of sounding sexist and hypocritical, you probably shouldn't be walking the streets alone at night. I mean I always thought Tree Hill was a pretty safe place but now..."

He trailed off and Cassie was sure she saw a hint of sadness in his eyes as he looked away from her. Having sensed that the boy was around her age, it didn't take a genius to guess what he was thinking about.

"You were at the school during the shooting." Her words weren't spoken as a question. The answer was written on his face.

"I was in the tutor centre."

The sadness Cassie had thought she'd seen in his eyes was mirrored in his voice as he confirmed her suspicions. But as quickly as it had come, it was gone, replaced by a carefully constructed mask of indifference. It was clear that his experience in the tutor centre was not something he wanted to discuss and considering she barely knew they guy, Cassie wasn't about to push it.

They spent the rest of the walk in silence. A fact that Cassie was grateful for since it gave her some time to consider the guy who had inadvertently saved her from her mystery follower. During her time in Vegas, she had developed a knack for reading people, a skill which was imperative to being a good CSI. Sara had pointed out on numerous occasions that it was one of Cassie's natural talents, and that she simply needed to train her mind to really concentrate on putting all the little details together.

She found it surprisingly easy to concentrate on Marcus, the realisation of which caused her to blush slightly with embarrassment. But she had to admit he was intriguing. His outward persona gave the impression of a carefree, slightly cocky and maybe even arrogant guy. The type of guy someone might refer to as a typical jock, if they were being particularly judgemental. But with that one little slip, Cassie had seen the person behind the mask and she had a feeling there was a lot of emotion locked behind his eyes. He seemed... haunted, for lack of a better word, and she couldn't help but wonder what it was that tortured him so much.

Her musings came to an abrupt end when she realised that they had arrived at her house. She paused, before turning toward him slightly. "So listen, thanks for walking me home. And I'm sorry again for almost bowling you over."

He shook her apology off. "You're welcome and honestly it's cool." He smirked. "Like I said, girls are always throwing themselves at me. But some of them I don't mind so much."

He gave her no time to reply, leaving her with a polite 'see ya round' before strolling off into the darkness.

...


End file.
